Should You Pay a "Digging Fee" in Ghana Before Starting Construction?

A digging fee is an amount of money demanded by youth groups in a particular area to allow a prospective builder develop a land he or she has legitimately or legally acquired. Paying a digging fee is a means used by some people to enrich themselves. The people who demand a digging fee are usually unemployed, uneducated and idle youth groups, land guards or individuals who may or may not be connected to the chiefs or traditional authorities of a particular area.
 

Those who demand digging fees assert that they are the protectors or custodians of the land and their keen eyes on and interest in the land has ensured its safety and prevented encroachment. As a result, they deserve some payment for their uncalled-for service. The amount of money demanded from land developers depends on the location of the land. People can pay as high as 2000 Ghana cedis and as low as 50 Ghana cedis. The demand for a digging fee is popular only in the Greater Accra region in Ghana and the practice has become a convention among the indigenes in certain parts of Accra and its environs.
 

The refusal to pay a digging fee puts the life of either the landowner or the construction workers in great danger and can lead to continual harassment, theft and vandalism. A lot of people have confessed that, though they are aware that paying a digging fee is illegal, they go ahead to pay this digging fee to get these people off their backs and their property. These people can be a nuisance and brutal in their attacks. However, it is important to note that the demand for a digging fee and activities of these people are not extended to highly developed areas, real estate company developers and educated and legally conscious people. They fear they will run into trouble with such individuals.

 

So the question is should you pay a digging fee in Ghana before constructing your building? The answer is an outright NO. It is unofficial, illegal and limited to only to the Greater Accra area. All the other regions in Ghana do not demand the payment of a digging fee before starting to build.

 In order to avoid all these problems, you should buy your land from a certified real estate agent or company. That’s why we encourage you to visit our website at www.ghanahomesforsale.com/land-in-Ghana and check out the available lands on sale.