The government has been acquiring new lands to supplement public lands for the development needs of the country.
The Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Samuel A. Jinapor, who disclosed this Wednesday, said the government had also put in place measures to protect existing public lands.
Mr Jinapor, who was addressing the public on the state of public lands, mentioned the acquisitions to include the 13,230-acre land at Afienya, Dawhenya for an Industrial Enclave and Urban Development, the 509-acre land between Afienya and New Akrade for railway development, and the 237-acre land in Tamale for the University for Development Studies, all acquired in 2018.
He, therefore, refuted allegations of wanton dissipation of public lands or what had been described by some as “state capture”.“Ghana’s public lands are intact and secure. This government will continue to do everything possible to protect the public lands of our country and make sure that the management and utilisation are in the interest of Ghanaians who are the owners of the lands,” he said at a news conference in Accra yesterday.
Schemes
Mr Jinapor further said the government had also put public lands to good use by implementing several schemes that would be of immense benefit to the public.
“Several schemes are being implemented in Kumasi Sector 18, which comprises of Ridge, Danyame and Nhyiaeso Residential areas; Old Tamale Airport and Cape Coast Ridge Sectors 1, 2 and 3 Residential Areas,” he said.
Protection of public lands
Mr Jinapor explained that contrary to allegations that public lands had been dissipated under the current government, the evidence on record had rather shown that the government had initiated measures to protect public lands.He cited one of these actions as being the August 17, 2021, directive from President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to the Lands Commission to refer all grants of interest in public lands to the President for approval in accordance with Article 258(2) of the 1992 Constitution, via the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources.
According to a policy directive, the Minister of Lands said, “In the Northern Region, for instance, the Regional Lands Commission has been directed to reverse a number of leases over public lands granted to private developers without the prior approval of the President.”
A recent Cabinet directive prohibiting all public enterprises and organizations, including public colleges, from entering into contracts for the transfer of public property was another action he noted.“The days of public institutions entering into public-private partnership agreements with public lands without the approval of the President are obviously over, and any person who enters into any such transaction, does so at his/her own risk,” he said.
“All these measures have been put in place to ensure the protection of public lands and to regulate their utilisation,” the minister added.
Mr Jinapor also revealed that pursuant to the orders of President Akufo-Addo, the Lands Commission was currently taking inventory of all public lands as well as those that had been leased or alienated to private individuals since the advent of the fourth republic on January 7, 1993.
Context
The issue of selling or leasing of state lands and properties to public officials, businessmen, politicians and others has dominated the country for decades, transcending many administrations.