No gov't land should be offered for free

Professor Kasim Kasanga, Minister of Lands and Forestry, has directed that henceforth, no government plot should be offered free of charge or on highly subsidised terms to anybody, institution, firm, corporation, except explicitly directed by the President.

"Instead, all public and vested lands must be offered on the open market to obtain current open market capital and rental values." These were contained in a circular signed by the Minister and released on 10 September to spell out a new land policy directive of government.

According to the Minister Lands and property should be offered based on closed or open tender, auction or private treaty as appropriate. "All available government lands must be advertised in the national dailies to obtain the best economic and financial returns for government."

The circular said the Lands Commission could only make an offer to sell or rent but they could not conclude the final disposal or rental without seeking the consent of the Minister. "If consent is sought and within two weeks response does not come from the Minister, the sale or rental can proceed." On ground rents, the circular said reviews and lease renewals should be proactively done according to the terms of the lease.

"There are outstanding lease renewals and rent reviews from embassies, Unilever Ghana, Limited. These should be done as a matter of urgency." It noted that a lot of residential properties have been turned into commercial, industrial or other uses.

"There is the need to take action to re-negotiate the leases to reflect their current uses so that government does not lose invaluable income." The circular asked the Land Commission to take an inventory of all state and vested properties immediately.