Ghana Land For Sale: Overview Land Types and Procedures
There are four major types of land ownership in Ghana. These
are government/state lands, vested lands, customary lands
(stool, clan and family) and private lands. The mode of acquiring
land in Ghana varies from one land ownership type to another.
Government lands are lands acquired by government through
compulsory acquisition.
Vested lands are those lands managed by government on behalf
of the stool that is to say that the legal interest is vested
in government and the financial interest vested in a stool.
State and vested lands are managed by the Lands Commission
and therefore all grants must emanate from the Commission.
Stool lands, as their name implies, are lands owned by the
various stools in their respective areas of operation. Among
these stools are the Osu Stool, Sempe Stool, Nungua Stool
etc. Stool land transactions must by law receive the concurrence
of the Ghana Lands Commission to make the grant valid.
Finally private or family lands are individual or family
acquisitions, which are species of stool lands but as a result
of passage of time, have gained individual or private identity.
Transactions on clan and family land need not necessarily
be processed through the commission but it is advisable that
it is done.
Land Registration in Ghana
The Land Title Registry is the government agency responsible
for the registration of Lands in Ghana. In addition it undertakes
other land related services such as:
- Searches for information on land ownership
- Registration of mortgages/and collateral mortgages
- After granting of concurrence by Lands Commission, the
individual needs to register his title to the land at the
Lands Title Registry.
- Registration is compulsory for the following:
- Allodial Title (i.e. "Paramount Title" which
is usually vested in stools, sub-stools and families).
- Grant of customary law freehold.
- Grant of common law freehold.
- Grant of a lease except those with less than two (2) years.
- Share-cropping or other customary tenancy agreement.
- Concessions
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