President John Dramani Mahama has announced plans to introduce legislation in Parliament to regulate the sale and divestiture of public lands, a move aimed at halting the widespread and often undervalued disposal of state property.
Addressing members of the Ghanaian community in Zambia, the President revealed that his administration has uncovered several cases where government lands were sold or leased at far below their market value, only for buyers to resell them at enormous profit.
“We have seen situations where people acquired government land for as little as GHS150,000 and later resold the same property for about $2 million,” President Mahama said. He noted that many of these transactions involved prime lands, making the disparities in valuation particularly troubling.
The President disclosed that a committee has been set up to assess the status of public lands in Accra and other parts of the country. He said transactions involving lands whose titles had not been fully processed have been suspended, with such lands reclaimed. Owners who have already developed properties on public land, he added, would be required to pay the full market value.
President Mahama explained that the proposed legislation would require parliamentary approval before any public land or state asset can be sold. Under the plan, the Lands Commission would be barred from processing any public land transaction unless it has been ratified by Parliament.
“This will put an end to the rampant sale of government property,” he said, stressing that the measure is intended to strengthen transparency, accountability, and public oversight in the management of state assets.
The proposed law forms part of broader efforts by the government to safeguard public property and ensure fair value in the disposal of state resources.
