Ghana Begins Review Of 1999 Land Policy To Shape Modern Land Governance

The Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, in collaboration with the Lands Commission and the Office of the Administrator of Stool Lands (OASL), has commenced a comprehensive review of the 1999 National Land Policy to develop a new framework capable of responding to the country's changing land administration and development needs.

The two-day inception workshop, addressed by the Deputy Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Hon. Alhaji Yusif Sulemana, marks a significant step towards strengthening land governance and ensuring that Ghana's land policy remains relevant to contemporary economic, social, environmental and technological realities.

Delivering the keynote address on behalf of the Sector Minister, Hon. Sulemana noted that the 1999 National Land Policy emerged from extensive consultations on land-related issues across the country and has since provided an important foundation for land administration reforms.

He cited the enactment of the Land Act, 2020 (Act 1036) as one of the major achievements resulting from the policy, explaining that the legislation consolidated about 13 separate land laws into a single comprehensive framework.

He, however, acknowledged persistent challenges in the sector, including delays in land service delivery, land and boundary disputes, encroachment on public lands, multiple sales of land, tenure insecurity and competing land uses.

The Deputy Minister said developments in population, urbanisation, the economy and technology, coupled with the growing impact of climate change on the environment, have created new challenges that were not fully anticipated when the 1999 policy was formulated. He therefore stressed the need for a comprehensive review to produce an updated policy that reflects Ghana's current realities.

He described the exercise as a key government commitment and disclosed that the new policy would receive attention at the Cabinet level as part of efforts to strengthen the country's land governance system.

The new policy is expected to be ready for Cabinet consideration and approval by the end of 2027.