Government will raise the premium charged on public land leases to a minimum of 70% of assessed market value and introduce stricter oversight requiring written approval from the Lands Minister Emmanuel Armah- Kofi Buah before any public land can be allocated.
The reforms form part of a broader overhaul of the public land administration system after a nationwide review found inconsistencies in application procedures and undervaluation of state assets.
“Over the years, premiums charged for the lease of public lands have ranged from approximately 1 to 30 percent of market value,” the minister said at a press briefing.
The ministry has proposed a new framework that significantly increases the state’s share of value in public land transactions.
“Under this new framework, a minimum of 70 % and not 1 to 30 %, a fixed 70 % of the assessed market value of public land will be payable up front as a premium, with the remaining 30 percent structured over the turnover of the lease as ground rent,” Buah said.
According to him, the revised premium structure is aimed at eliminating inconsistent pricing that has allowed public lands to be leased at widely varying values, even within the same neighbourhood.
“I mean, can you imagine you are buying the same land in the same vicinity, say in Labone, and somebody’s buying it one million, somebody’s buying it 200, somebody’s buying it 300, somebody’s buying it one million dollars,” he said.
The reforms also include standardising the public land application process nationwide by replacing what the minister described as inconsistent regional application forms.
“Every region had a different form five, different form five in every region, very uniform, very unorthodox,” he said.
The ministry said it has completed a review of the application form and will now enforce a single mandatory “Form Five” for all public land transactions across Ghana. Applicants will be able to download and submit the form electronically.
The government has also reviewed the Lands Commission’s internal allocation process, introducing stricter controls intended to reduce abuse and improve traceability.
He told the press, “Under the revised framework, no public land will be allocated by the Lands Commission without a written approval of the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources.”
The ministry said it will seek legislative backing for the reforms by incorporating them into draft land regulations currently under review.
To support consistent valuation, the government will compile market value data for defined land clusters nationwide and publish the information on the Lands Commission website.
The minister said the reforms are part of the government’s broader digitalisation agenda, intended to reduce reliance on intermediaries and expand access to land administration services.
“We believe with these reforms backed up by the digitalization agenda, we can completely get to the place where land administration services will be at the doorsteps of the people of Ghana,” he said.
