Lands Minister Announces Major Overhaul of Public Land Management

Government has announced a comprehensive set of reforms aimed at strengthening transparency, accountability and efficiency in the administration of public lands across the country.

Addressing a press conference on Wednesday,11th March,2026, the Deputy Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Hon. Alhaji Dr. Yusif Sulemana (MP) revealed that the reforms are part of Cabinet directives currently being implemented by the Ministry in collaboration with the Lands Commission to restore integrity in public land management.

The Ministry also introduced a new premium framework for public land leases, which requires that at least 70 percent of the assigned market value of public land be paid upfront, with the remaining 30 percent spread over the tenure of the lease as ground rent. Hon. Sulemana noted that the reform is designed to enhance revenue generation for the state and prevent situations where individuals paid widely varying premiums for similar lands in the past.

Hon. Sulemana explained that one of the key reforms is the revision of the Public Land Application Form, popularly known as Form 5, which will now serve as the single mandatory application instrument for all public land transactions nationwide. The revised form will be used for both new applications and reapplications by individuals whose earlier applications were cancelled during the recent review exercise.

To enhance accessibility and efficiency, the Lands Commission has also been directed to publish the form on its official website to allow applicants download, complete and submit their applications electronically.

The Deputy Minister further disclosed that the Ministry has undertaken a comprehensive review of the Lands Commission’s internal processes for allocating public lands. Under the new framework, the stages involved in processing applications have been clearly defined, with stronger internal checks and verification mechanisms introduced to ensure transparency and traceability in decision-making.

Significantly, no public land will be allocated without the prior approval of the Minister, a measure expected to strengthen ministerial oversight and ensure that allocations align with national policy objectives, he said.

Another major reform announced at the briefing is the standardisation of land market values for estates across the country. According to Hon. Sulemana, the Ministry and the Lands Commission have compiled reliable market values for several prime estates, including over 30 estates within the Greater Accra Region.

He explained, these values will be published on the Lands Commission’s website to guide the assessment of land premiums and eliminate discretionary pricing, ensuring fairness and value for money in all public land allocations.

Additionally, a Public Land Protection Taskforce will soon be inaugurated to prevent encroachment on state lands, halt unauthorised developments and prosecute offenders where necessary.
As part of the transparency drive, the Deputy Minister announced that the list of all public land applications reviewed covering more than 8,000 cases will soon be published on the websites of the Ministry and the Lands Commission, beginning with the Greater Accra Region. He added that the temporary suspension on public land transactions has now been lifted, although all services will operate strictly under the new reforms.

Hon. Sulemana also disclosed that the Ministry has initiated the procurement process for the national digitalisation of Ghana’s land administration system, funded largely through the Lands Commission’s internally generated funds, a move expected to significantly modernise land services and reduce human interference in land transactions.