Emmanuel Armah Kofi Buah
The Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Emmanuel Armah Kofi Buah, says government will review all public lands previously sold to ensure the transactions offered value for money and followed due process.
Speaking during a working visit by Vice President Prof. Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang to the Ministry, Mr. Buah said the review process had already commenced as part of efforts to protect state assets and restore public confidence in land administration.
He explained that many public lands originally acquired by the state for specific purposes, including agriculture and other national projects, had over time been mismanaged or improperly transferred.
“We have begun the process of reviewing these lands. Some of them were acquired by government for specific purposes and therefore remain government property. Unfortunately, some of the individuals entrusted to protect these lands have abused that responsibility,” the Minister said.
Mr. Buah stressed that President John Mahama is committed to ensuring the proper management of public lands and preventing further abuse.
He disclosed that a ministerial team, led by his deputy, had been constituted and granted Cabinet approval to implement long term measures to address the problem.
“His Excellency the President has vowed that we must get it right. Cabinet has approved our recommendations, and we are determined to deal with this issue decisively,” he noted.
The Minister warned public officials against the misappropriation of state lands, saying the government would name and shame offenders.
“By the time we are done, no government official will even think of taking public land. We will publish your name in every newspaper,” he cautioned.
Mr. Buah further revealed that Cabinet has approved a comprehensive review of all public lands that had been sold in the past, to determine whether the transactions reflected value for money and were properly executed.
According to him, any transaction in which the required processes were not fully completed would be cancelled.
“Those that did not complete the process are automatically cancelled. We will implement the Cabinet decision to the letter to give the people of Ghana confidence that public lands will be protected,” he added.
By Ernest Kofi Adu