How to Avoid Land Problems in Ghana

Land Situation and Acquisition in Ghana

Since independence, several citizens of Ghana have encountered a puzzling land administration system. There have been long and expensive procedures entailing several land agencies, which have discouraged many citizens from legally registering their lands in the state institutions. Land concerns have been controlled in a double situation for a long time with traditional laws and regulations functioning alongside the state law.

Approximately 80% of the land is under customary holders while the rest is held by the state. During the colonial period, information on land ownership in Ghana was not comprehensively recorded. Numerous transactions were denied effective certification and land maps were demarcated by physical landmarks, for instance, hills instead of surveyed maps. Since the physical features were not an efficient way of bounding land, litigation over proprietorship and boundaries remained endless.



Through the Land Registry Act, all transactions were required to be administered through the deed registration system that was put in place from the onset of the 19th century. This involved a system based on documents proving persons’ right to transfer land or property. However, the system has faced a number of challenges as since registrars have not had the power to investigate and reject documents of dubious legitimacy.

Therefore, anyone with a title deed could claim land and sell it to another person. With no clear procedures, there was no vibrant way of determining the real owner of a land. Furthermore, through customary land tenures, individuals have been allocated land orally without proper documentation. This has led to the lands being allocated or sold to multiple owners.

Due to this failed systems, the government has sought to establish different institutions in overseeing the land acquisition and usage in Ghana. For instance, the Land Title Registry provided a compulsory registration of districts but it did not have many achievements.



The turning point of the Ghana’s land system was marked by the Lands, Forestry, and Mines Ministry Land Administration Program. The program lay the foundation for reforming land administration in Ghana. The administration was aimed at creating a sustainable and well-functioning land administration system.

The problem of purchasing land in Ghana is not over. Currently, before you purchase any piece of land in Ghana, you must consider several factors. These include carrying out due diligence over the land, involving a searching process with the Lands Commission about the lands ownership, getting a cadastral plan, drafting and signing the transfer agreement and registering the land with the Lands Commission.

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What has been your land buying experience? Share your story in comment section below.

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