Accra, March 11, – The Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources has announced a new premium payment structure requiring applicants for public lands to pay 70 per cent of the assessed market value upfront, with the remaining 30 per cent spread across the lease period as ground rent.
The new arrangement forms part of broader reforms aimed at improving transparency, accountability and efficiency in the administration of public lands in the country.
Alhaji Yusif Sulemana, Deputy Minister for Lands and Natural Resources and Chairman of the Public Land Review Allocation Committee, announced the measures at a news conference in Accra on Wednesday.
He explained that the reforms followed Cabinet approval of recommendations submitted by the Committee after a comprehensive review of public land leases.
According to the Deputy Minister, the new framework was intended to strengthen oversight in public land administration while ensuring that the State derived appropriate value from the allocation of public lands.
As part of the reforms, the Public Land Application Form (Form 5) has been revised to serve as the single mandatory instrument for all public land transactions nationwide.
The updated form will also be made available electronically through the Lands Commission’s website to facilitate easier access for applicants.
Alhaji Sulemana said under the revised allocation procedures, no public land would be allocated without prior written approval from the Lands Minister, a measure designed to ensure stronger supervision and alignment with national development policies.
He also disclosed that a comprehensive database of land market values for estates across the country had been compiled and would be published online to guide fair assessments and promote value-for-money transactions.
The Deputy Minister further announced the establishment of a Public Land Protection Task Force tasked with safeguarding state lands against encroachment and illegal developments, in accordance with the country’s constitutional and legal provisions.
He noted that the reforms were expected to improve revenue mobilisation for the State, while ensuring that public lands were managed in a manner that supported Ghana’s broader economic interests.
In addition, Alhaji Sulemana revealed that 67 per cent of the internally generated funds of the Lands Commission would be ring-fenced to support the national land digitalisation project, which aims to enhance efficiency and transparency in land service delivery.
He recalled that on February 16, 2026, the Sector Minister, Mr Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, announced the outcome of a review of 8,160 public land lease applications submitted between 2017 and 2024, which resulted in the cancellation of incomplete, non-compliant and suspicious transactions.
Following the review, a temporary suspension placed on public land allocations was lifted, but new regulations now require that all future allocations receive prior ministerial approval before processing.
GHBUSS
11 March 2026
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