Large Land Acquisitions Phenomenon In Ghana: A Historical Overview

The challenges of the twenty-first century are enormous. Ensuring adequate foodsupply, energy, secure livelihoods, water among a host of essential needs of mankindhave remained a daunting challenge of many governments across the world. Land isemerging as the point of attraction to solving the many problems emanating fromthe increasing population. The scramble for land by both the poor and the rich atthe household, local and national levels has in recent times become a topical issue inboth local and international political discourses. Ghana has not been insulated fromthis new paradigm of land scramble and thus far has had its fair share. It is rankedfourth among the top ten countries in the world targeted for mixed deals (agro fuelsand other purposes) with 421, 808 ha of agricultural land already under acquisitioncontract. This paper takes a historical view of large land trade in Ghana from the periodof colonial times to the current democratic dispensation. Using secondary data,the study found that the recent large land acquisition is not a new phenomenon inGhana. It occurred in Ghana during the colonial era. The customary land owners havebeen the key suppliers of land in this land enterprise during both the colonial eraand the period after the independence. There is a greater recognition of customaryclaims to land by the state through constitutional and policy enactments. This recognitionhowever falls short of regulating the customary authorities in their land dispositionsespecially rural land which are of much interest to the investors. It has thuscreated a lacuna in the land control arrangement by the state which has left the customaryauthorities to engage large land alienations without adequate controls. It isrecommended that, efforts be made by government to provide enough structures atthe local level to supervise and control land alienations by the customary authorities.