The Lands Commission has launched a high-profile ground rent collection and compliance drive across some of Accra’s most expensive neighbourhoods, signaling one of its most assertive efforts to boost state revenue and enforce discipline in land administration.
The operation targets prime areas such as Airport Residential Area, East Legon, Tema Motorway Industrial Area, and the North Industrial Area. Teams from the Greater Accra Regional Lands Commission are personally delivering ground rent demand notices to property owners and lessees.
The initiative, led by Dr Pius Asumadu, Acting Greater Accra Regional Lands Officer, and supervised by Surv. Owusu Peprah, Regional Head of the Public and Vested Lands Management Division (PVLMD), forms part of a nationwide push to ensure that both individuals and corporate entities honour their lease obligations on state lands.
Preliminary findings reveal widespread irregularities, including unauthorized land use changes, illegal subletting, unapproved property redevelopments into apartments, and years of unpaid ground rent. Dr Asumadu described these trends as “a worrying pattern that threatens the integrity of Ghana’s land administration system.”
The Commission has also uncovered residential plots converted into commercial facilities without permission and lands subdivided and resold against lease agreements.
In response, the Lands Commission is implementing stricter compliance measures, including:
- Comprehensive review of leases
- Variations of lease terms to reflect current land use
- Upward revision of ground rents
- Publishing persistent defaulters’ names in national newspapers
- Forfeiture of lands through lawful re-entry under the Land Act, 2020 (Act 1036)
Property owners who have not yet received notices are encouraged to visit the nearest Lands Commission office to confirm their payment status and settle any arrears.
Officials emphasized that this drive is part of a broader reform agenda aimed at streamlining land administration, protecting public lands from encroachment, and improving revenue generation for national development.
The Commission also hinted that similar operations will soon target other regions, including Kumasi, Takoradi, and Tamale, with a focus on high-value government lands.
This renewed enforcement campaign reflects the Lands Commission’s determination to promote responsible land stewardship, enhance public trust, and strengthen institutional integrity across Ghana’s land sector.
