Ghana's Public Lands: Expert Proposes Management by Lands Commission

A member of the Constitutional Review Committee (CRC) 2025 and Senior Lecturer at the University of Ghana School of Law, Dr Godwin Djokoto has called for public lands in Ghana to be vested in the people and managed by the Lands Commission, rather than being held in trust by the President. Speaking on JoyNews’ The Law on Sunday, January 18, Dr Djokoto emphasised that in a republican state, where all powers of the state emanate from the people, it is only consistent that public assets belong to the citizenry and not an individual officeholder. “In a republican state where we say that all powers of the state emanate from the people, we are the same people we are talking about,” he said. “Instead of vesting public lands in the President in trust for the people of this country, they should be vested in the people, but managed by the Lands Commission.” He explained that this approach would preserve citizen ownership while ensuring professional management and oversight. The proposal, he noted, includes safeguards aimed at guaranteeing transparency, accountability, and value for money in all dealings involving public lands. A key component of the proposed framework, Dr Djokoto revealed, is the strengthened role of the Auditor-General. The office would be responsible for maintaining an accurate record of all public lands and for scrutinising all transactions, including sales, assignments, and leases, to ensure that the state receives appropriate value. “To the extent that if it does not conform, there should be the power of nullification,” he said. “This, we think, could bring some sanity into the public space.” Dr Djokoto suggested that vesting management responsibilities in the Lands Commission, combined with stringent oversight, would help curb mismanagement and improve public confidence in land administration.