Lease of public lands outlawed

Cabinet has directed that no public institution or individual can lease, transfer or change the use of Ghana’s public lands without written permission from the Presidency. The Ghanaian Times reports that they are also not allowed to sublet, assign, dispose of, or otherwise create any third-party interest in any public land granted or allocated to that public institution, public body, or public corporation. Land covered by the directive includes properties that have been granted to public institutions for public use. The directive is contained in a statement issued by Lands & Natural Resources Minister Samuel Jinapor. It notes that ‘Cabinet deems it necessary to protect public lands granted to public institutions for public purposes, ensure that these lands are utilised for the purposes for which they were granted to such public institutions, and ultimately, secure the public interest’.