Minority accuses government of rebranding existing land policies as new reforms

The Minority in Parliament has criticised the government for what it describes as the repackaging of existing land policies, following recent announcements by the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources.

In a statement dated March 17, the caucus argued that many of the measures presented as reforms are in fact longstanding laws and initiatives introduced under previous administrations, and should not be portrayed as new.

“The Ghanaian public deserves accuracy, not political theatre,” the Minority stated, insisting that much of what has been labelled as reform is simply a continuation of already established policies.

The comments come in response to a press briefing by the Ministry, where officials outlined steps aimed at improving the management and administration of public lands.

However, the Minority took issue with several of the measures highlighted. On the requirement for ministerial approval in the allocation of public lands, the caucus maintained that this policy dates back to a directive issued in 2021 under the previous government, and therefore cannot be considered a fresh intervention.

The group also dismissed claims that the use of Form 5 for land applications represents a reform, noting that the process is already provided for under the State Lands Regulations, 1962 (L.I. 230), and cannot be altered without parliamentary approval.

On digitalisation efforts at the Lands Commission, the Minority argued that these initiatives had been underway prior to the current administration, including the rollout of digital composite search systems to ease land-related enquiries.

In addition, the caucus pointed to the work of the Public Lands Protection Task Force, stating that it had already been established and was actively reclaiming encroached state lands before the present government took office.

“These are not new measures,” the statement concluded. “They are simply a continuation of policies and systems that are already in place.”

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