Public lands should not be sold at lower prices – Minister-Designate for Lands and Natural Resources

The Minister-Designate for Lands and Natural Resources, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, has been adamantly against the sale of public lands, stating that in order to safeguard the interests of the Ghanaian people, any future transactions involving such lands must be carried out at going market rates.

On Monday, January 27, during his vetting by Parliament’s Appointments Committee, Armah-Kofi Buah criticized current practices that permit public lands to be undervalued and sold at significantly lower rates, characterizing this as harmful to the development of the country.

According to Armah-Kofi Buah, who described the rules currently followed by the Lands Commission, public lands are frequently sold for only 25% of their market value, with the remaining amount being covered by ground rent.

Armah-Kofi Buah contended that this practice deprives the country of valuable revenue and effectively undervalues state-owned assets.

“As we speak, the guidelines for the sale of public lands according to the Lands Commission is that it is valued at 25 percent and the 25 percent of the value is what is sold and the rest is paid through grand rent.

“That will not happen anymore, and first of all, it should not be sold and if there is a need to sell, it should be done at the current market value so that Ghanaians are not shortchanged.”

In Ghana, there has been controversy surrounding the sale of public lands to Politically Exposed Persons (PEPs), with questions concerning accountability, fairness, and transparency.