Land Administration in Ghana: The New Agenda

The establishment of fundamentals of a good land administration in Ghana has to be expedited to deliver government's target of 30 days turn around time for land title registration. This goal is indeed, achievable if only the fundamentals are set right. Wide and varied range of benefits for investment, security of tenure and national development are the potential products of an efficient and effective land administrations system. This paper, using case study approach, therefore presents snapshot review of strategic interventions by the Lands Commission to significantly improve upon land services delivery system in Ghana.This is a case study, driven by policy on current land administration reform agenda in Ghana within the operations of the Lands Commission. It presents a. Premised on institutional capacity development, the study seeks to demonstrate that business and financial re- engineering are the two critical vehicles to deliver the new agenda.An agenda, based on fit-for-purpose, identifies four fundamentals, which the case study seeks to thrive onto deliver a good land administration system in the country. First, deploy technology to develop Ghana Enterprise Land Information System (GELIS) as a digital platform for parcel and cadastral plan preparation, property valuation, land registration, land management and land-use planning. Second, a paradigm shift for infrastructural development to provide modern working environment; solid and sustainable resource base and the right skill mix of highly rewarded staff. Third, establish credible and accessible database on tenure, ownership, valuation, land use, survey and mapping. Fourth, produce up-to-date base maps as the foundation for the database that will support national development through revenue mobilization, commercial agriculture, infrastructure development, disaster control and security of lives and properties. Such an agenda will ultimately yield a significant reduction in turn around time for land services delivery to promote real estate market development, investment and national development. Experiences from this case study pose several policy implications for the Government of Ghana, investors and other key stakeholders. And also provide key lessons for other emerging economies particularly in Africa where similar systems of land administration exist.