“Public land protection task force will be established to prevent encroachment, unauthorized development” — Lands Minister

The Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, has announced plans to establish a Public Land Protection Task Force to curb encroachment and unauthorized development on state lands.

Addressing the media at the Ministry’s conference room, the Minister said the initiative forms part of sweeping reforms introduced following a comprehensive review of 8,160 public land lease applications processed between 2017 and 2024.

The review was undertaken in compliance with a directive issued on January 10, 2025, by President John Dramani Mahama, which temporarily suspended all transactions involving public lands after procedural irregularities were identified in several allocations.

According to Mr. Buah, the reviewed applications included 4,176 direct allocations, 2,799 regularizations, 19 allocations relating to state bungalows, 108 land swap or public-private partnership arrangements, 795 subsequent transactions and 263 fresh allocations.

He disclosed that uncompleted transactions under the affected categories have been cancelled, while completed ones will undergo a case-by-case assessment. Any allocation found to have breached due process, he stressed, will be revoked.

“The establishment of the Public Land Protection Task Force will help prevent encroachment and unauthorized development on public lands,” the Minister stated, emphasizing government’s commitment to restoring transparency, accountability and discipline in land administration.

Mr. Buah further outlined additional reforms, including the revision and standardization of the Public Land Application Form, stricter internal procedures at the Lands Commission, and mandatory written approval from the Minister before any public land allocation.

He reaffirmed that although the temporary ban on public land transactions has been lifted, all future allocations must strictly comply with the new guidelines.

“Public lands are vested in trust for the people of Ghana and must be managed in the public interest,” he added.

Story by: Joshua Kwabena Smith