8,160 public land lease applications reviewed nationwide-Lands Minister
The exercise followed a directive by President John Dramani Mahama on 10 January 2025, which ordered the Lands Commission to suspend all activity related to leasing and processing public land transactions.
A government committee has examined 8,160 lease applications involving public lands across Ghana’s 16 regions, the Minister for Lands, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, has said.
Giving a breakdown at a press briefing on Monday, 16 February, the minister said the applications assessed include:
4,176 direct allocations
2,799 regularisations
19 allocations linked to state bungalows
108 land swap or public-private partnership arrangements
795 subsequent transactions
265 fresh allocations
He added that 88 of the 108 land swap/PPP arrangements were in the Ashanti Region.
The exercise followed a directive by President John Dramani Mahama on 10 January 2025, which ordered the Lands Commission to suspend all activity related to leasing and processing public land transactions.
The minister said the move was meant to protect public lands from abuse, tighten discipline in land administration and ensure the state receives fair value.
The review was conducted by a committee chaired by Alhaji Yusif Suleimana, the Deputy Lands Minister. According to Mr Buah, the committee identified gaps in compliance, with some applications and allocations failing to follow the Lands Commission’s internal processes—an issue he said weakens transparency.
The committee has submitted its findings to Cabinet, and the minister said Cabinet has approved the recommendations and issued additional instructions for immediate implementation.
Mr Buah said the measures form part of government’s broader drive to rebuild trust in land administration and strengthen oversight in the management of public lands.
