SDGs with land targets
SDG 1: End poverty in all its forms everywhere – Target 1.4: By 2030, ensure that all men and women, in particular the poor and the vulnerable, have equal rights to economic resources, as well as access to basic services, ownership and control over land and other forms of property, inheritance, natural resources, appropriate new technology and financial services, including microfinance.

SDG 2. End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture – Target 2.3: by 2030, double the agricultural productivity and the incomes of small-scale food producers, particularly women, indigenous peoples, family farmers, pastoralists and fishers, including through secure and equal access to land, other productive resources and inputs, knowledge, financial services, markets, and opportunities for value addition and non-farm employment.

SDG 5. Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls – Target 5a: undertake reforms to give women equal rights to economic resources, as well as access to ownership and control over land and other forms of property, financial services, inheritance and natural resources, in accordance with national laws.

SDG 11. Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable – Target 11.3: by 2030 enhance inclusive and sustainable urbanization and capacities for participatory, integrated and sustainable human settlement planning and management in all countries.

SDG 15. Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss.

Target 15.1: by 2020 ensure conservation, restoration and sustainable use of terrestrial and inland freshwater ecosystems and their services, in particular forests, wetlands, mountains and drylands, in line with obligations under international agreements.
SDG 16. Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels.
Target 16.6: develop effective, accountable and transparent institutions at all levels

The final policy document was launched in June 1999 and remains the National Land Policy until now. Following the launch of the policy, the only national level policy dialogue on land was the National Land Forum held in November 2007. Since then, there has not been any national platform to discuss the challenges confronting the sector and to mobilize consensus on how to tackle them. The National Land Policy, 1999 identifies several land administration challenges, the resolution of which are considered fundamental to realizing an efficient and effective land tenure regime in Ghana.
The challenges include weak land administration and management systems, multiple land sales, compulsory acquisition by government of large tracts of land unutilized and compensation unpaid, land market indiscipline, unauthorized occupation and use of state lands by encroachers, haphazard spatial developments, lack of adequate functional and coordinated geographic information systems and networks, indeterminate boundaries of customary owned lands, lack of modern and up-to-date maps and plans, and use of unapproved development schemes

Guided by the sector analysis contained in the Land Policy, 1999, successive Governments have sought, through numerous initiatives to improve Ghana’s land administration regime. The major interventions in land administration have been through the Land Administration Project (LAP) - phases 1 and 2, which sought to lay the foundation and consolidate urban and rural land administration and management systems for efficient and transparent land service delivery. In addition to the State efforts, several independent programs aimed at contributing to addressing the challenges in Ghana’s land sector have been implemented by non-state actors. These have produced some results that have contributed to improvements in the land sector.
Examples include projects implemented by several NGOs such as Solidaridad, GiZ, USAID, Rights and Resources Initiative (RRI), COLANDEF, as well as some private sector actors. These include the collaboration with stakeholders in the development of a Handbook for Customary Land Rights Documentation, piloting of customary land rights documentation, organization of an Africa Regional Consultative Workshop on Securing Land Tenure in Africa, analysis of land access and tenure security for the several agricultural value chains, development of Guidelines for Responsible Land Based Investments for the Private Sector, Community and Public Sector actors, Analysis of the Social Inclusion Dimensions of Large Scale Land Acquisition, among many others.

Despite the efforts by Government and contribution from non-state actors, there is worsening land tenure risks for urban, peri-urban, and rural land users, fueled on the one hand by the rapid population growth and urbanization, increasing demand for land for all human activities and on the other hand by weak institutions. The management of other natural resources including timber, minerals and water add to the challenges of securing land rights for sustainable socio-economic development. These experiences indicate the urgent need for a more inclusive, strategic, and sustained multi-stakeholder approach to improve the governance of land and other natural resources in the country and restore many of the degraded lands. Dialogue spaces among national and local governments, industry players, customary landowners and actors, academia, civil society organizations, investors and the general public are needed to achieve sustainable land sector transformation and socio-economic development.

Thus, the National Land Conference 2022 is designed to build on all these efforts in the land sector by both state and non-state actors and institutionalize a structured arrangement for multi-stakeholder participation in the transformation of the land sector.

The theme for the National Land Conference is “Leveraging National Land Policy, Legislation and Institutional Capacity Towards Sustainable Socio-Economic Development.
The objective is connected to six of the SDGs that have bearing on the land sector. These are:
Goal 1: End poverty in all its forms everywhere
Goal 2: End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture,
Goal 5: Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls,
Goal 10: Reduce inequality within and among countries.
Goal 11: Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable,
Goal 15: Protect, restore, and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss.

Guided by the 1992 Constitution of Ghana, the Land Act, 2020 (Act 1036), the Land Use and Spatial Planning Act, 2016 (Act 925), experiences and international best practices; the conference would create the platform to discuss policy options, experiences, present new research and scalable innovations, foster high level support and ownership of interventions to tackle land governance, and to empower and develop the capacities of the land sector stakeholders

OBJECTIVES.

The objectives of the Conference are:

1. Provide a multistakeholder platform for policy dialogue on land issues and challenges and propose recommendations to government for addressing them .

2. Provide opportunity for discussion and adoption of innovative approaches and enabling technologies for improving land governance and land administration in the country

3. Increase public awareness and potential benefits of the Land Act, 2020 (Act 1036) and the Land Use and Spatial Planning Act, 2016 (Act 925.

4. Establish a multi-stakeholder platform to monitor the implementation of the recommendations of the Conference and generally promote good land governance and land administration

EXPECTED OUTCOMES.

1. Awareness of conference participants raised on the Land Act, 2020 and the Land Use and Spatial Planning Act, 2016

2. A multi-stakeholder platform established to monitor the implementation of the conference recommendations.

3. A Communique issued at the end of the Conference articulating the main recommendations

4. Broad modalities for implementation of the Land Act 2020 and the Land Use and Spatial Planning Act, 2016 establishe.

5. A Conference Proceedings Report that details out the main recommendations/resolutions of the Conference is published.

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have some targets linked to land and property rights and calls for a close examination of the extent to which we are working towards achieving the targets. Three of the important SDGs that have bearing the land sector are:

SDG 1: End poverty in all its forms everywhere – Target 1.4: By 2030, ensure that all men and women, in particular the poor and the vulnerable, have equal rights to economic resources, as well as access to basic services, ownership and control over land and other forms of property, inheritance, natural resources, appropriate new technology and financial services, including microfinance.

SDG 5: Goal 5. Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls – Target 5a: undertake reforms to give women equal rights to economic resources, as well as access to ownership and control over land and other forms of property, financial services, inheritance and natural resources, in accordance with national laws.

SDG 11. Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable – Target 11.3 by 2030 enhance inclusive and sustainable urbanization and capacities for participatory, integrated and sustainable human settlement planning and management in all countries.

OBJECTIVES.

The objectives of the Conference are:

1. Create a multistakeholder platform for policy dialogue on land issues and challengers and propose recommendations to government for addressing them.

2. Provide opportunity for discussion and adoption of innovative approaches and enabling technologies for improving land governance and land administration in the country.

3. Increase public awareness and potential benefits of the Land Act, 2020 (Act 1036) and the Land Use and Spatial Planning Act, 2016 (Act 926).

4. Establish a multi-stakeholder platform to monitor the implementation of the recommendations of the Conference and generally promote good land governance and land administration.

THEMATIC AREAS.

1. Land Policy and Land Governance Reforms – Legal and Institutional Frameworks

2. Land Administration and Innovative Methodologies – Land registration, Land Valuation, Taxation, Institutional Arrangements, Dispute Resolution Mechanisms.

3. Surveying and Mapping – Innovative and Cost-Effective Techniques.

4. Land Use Planning and Spatial Development – Spatial Planning, Development Control, Institutional Frameworks.

5. Land Management System (Customary, State and Vested Lands).

6. Gender and social inclusion in the land sector.

The Land Act, 2022 and the Land Use and Spatial Planning Act, 2016 are the key conference documents and therefore will be highlighted in the deliberations on each of the thematic areas mentioned above.

1. Is the Land Use and Spatial Planning Act 2016 (Act 925) capable of addressing planning failure? What should be done to ensure effective implementation?

Synopsis.
Ghana is fast becoming an urban country. The total population of the country was 30.8 million as per the 2021 population and housing census. 56.7 percent live in urban areas. While the annual population growth rate of the country is 2.1 percent per annum, urban population growth rate is 3.2 percent per annum. The high population growth and the fast rate of urbanization find expression in the development of human settlements. The urban expansion is putting a lot of pressure in the commodification and commercialization of tenure rights at the peri-urban areas, resulting in unplanned and haphazard settlement development due to the inability of the land use planning process to cope with the rate of urban expansion. Human settlements are not efficient and economically functioning communities, and they put a lot of costs on municipal administration. The result is planning failure.

The Land Use and Spatial Planning Act, 2016 (Act 925) was enacted to provide a new legal framework for dealing with all aspects land use and spatial planning including a new institutional framework for managing spatial planning. Seven years into the enactment of the Act, not much appears to be happening on the ground and the unplanned, uncontrolled, and uncoordinated spatial development is continuing. The presentation should focus on the adequacy of the legal provisions to deal with the challenges of spatial planning and what should be done to ensure effective implementation, including the capacity needed for implementation.

1. Improving accountability and transparency in the governance of state and vested lands.
Presenter: Surv. Mark Kakraba-Ampeh

2. Improving accountability and transparency in the governance of customary lands.
Presenter: Surv Prof John Bugri (KNUST).

3. Eliminating corruption in the land administration system.
Presenter: Ghana Integrity Initiative.

Chairperson: Surv Yvonne Sowah
Rapporteurs:

1. Improving accountability and transparency in the governance of State lands.

Effective governance of land and natural resources is critical to ensuring equitable and sustainable economic growth. The terms on which land is held, used and transferred have important consequences for economic growth, the distribution of wealth and alleviation of poverty. Therefore, the land governance arrangement in a society affects the incentive to invest and to use land in a sustainable manner as well as have access to financial resources. Lack of transparency and accountability can exacerbate corruption in land governance. State lands constitute only 20 percent of all lands in Ghana. Yet its governance and management principles largely influence the governance and management of the remaining 80 percent. It is intended that the presentation would critically examine the processes by which decisions are made regarding the access to and use of state land, and the manner in which those decisions are implemented – who is eligible for allocation, basis of pricing, managing change of use from land use planning standpoint, managing change of use from the development, accounting for revenue and other benefits. The presentation should also include recommendations on appropriate legal and policy framework, processes and institutions that will improve transparency and accountability in the management of state lands.
Presenter: Surv Mark Kakraba-Ampeh.
Maximum time for presentation: 20 minutes.

2. Improving accountability and transparency in the governance of customary lands.

Effective governance of land and natural resources is critical to ensuring equitable and sustainable economic growth. The terms on which land is held, used and transferred have important consequences for economic growth, the distribution of wealth and alleviation of poverty. Therefore, the land governance arrangement in a society affects the incentive to invest and to use land in a sustainable manner as well as have access to financial resources. Lack of transparency and accountability can exacerbate corruption in land governance. It is intended that the presentation would critically examine the processes by which decisions are made regarding the access to and use of customary lands, the manner in which those decisions are implemented and the way that conflicting interests are reconciled. The presentation should identify areas in the management of customary lands where transparency is lacking. It should also advance recommendations regarding appropriate legal and policy framework, processes and institutions by transparency and accountability can be improved in which customary lands.
Presenter: Prof John Bugri (KNUST).
Maximum time for presentation: 20 minutes.

3. Eliminating corruption in the land administration system.

Corruption in land administration has come under greater scrutiny, not least as a result of increased commercial value of urban, peri-urban and agricultural lands. Further, the finite availability of land and its associated high demand for various uses, tend to result in corrupt practices. Corruption is associated with unresponsive, unaccountable and frequently ineffective land governance and land administration systems. When corruption is present in the land sector, related actions and decisions are driven by distorted interests and policies that favour the few. It is expected that the presentation would critically examine the nature of corruption in the land sector and how it manifests at the different levels of land governance, land management and land administration systems. The focus should be on corruption at both the formal and customary sectors of land administration with respect to its scale, types, drivers and effects. The presentation should also advance evidence-based anti-corruption approaches and mitigating measures that will help to curb corruption in the land sector.
Presenter: Ghana Integrity Initiative (GII).
Maximum time for presentation: 20 minutes.

Synopsis.
The rate of urbanization in Ghana is rapid (about 3.2 percent per annum) and the unplanned nature of the human settlements that are springing out of the process is disturbing. The total population of the country was 30.8 million as per the 2021 population and housing census and of which 56.7 percent live in urban areas. Most cities and secondary towns are expanding in leaps and bounds without conforming to any approved land use plans. The sprawl is encroaching deeply on vast agricultural lands, jeopardizing the potential internal food supply and food security system of the country. The problems created by the uncontrolled urban expansion is compounded by uncoordinated and uncontrolled rural land uses including illegal mining and large-scale land acquisitions, exacerbating land tenure problems.

There is little coordination in land use planning and land development processes, resulting in inefficient cities and towns, waste management challenges, transportation problems and management of the urban space. Efforts have been made to address these problems mainly through new legislation (the Land Use and Spatial Planning Act, 2016 (Act 926), the Local Governance Act, 2016 (Act 936)) and decentralization. Decentralization is challenged by lack of adequate capacity at the metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies. In addition, it is observed that the entire Voltaian basin (about 104,000 km2) is rich hydro-carbons and there are discussions on designating the entire basin for its hydro-carbon resources. What will be the implication of such a designation in relation to other land uses and land development? These two issues are the focus of this policy dialogue.

Synopsis.
1. Strengthening state lands management - opportunities and challenges, securing tenure rights on state lands.

State Lands in Ghana constitutes a small percentage of all lands in the country – estimated at about 20 percent. The 1992 Constitution vests all state lands in the President in trust for the people of Ghana and further gives the mandate to manage all state lands on behalf of the President to the Lands Commission. The management of state lands has generated a number of issues ranging from non-payment of compensation, return of state lands to pre-acquisition landowners, change of use of compulsory acquired lands, challenges associated with post-acquisition management, and basis of allocation of state lands, among others. These have been discussed extensively by both media and the public without resolution. The Land Act, 2020 (Act 1036) consolidates the legal framework for the acquisition and management of state lands. It is appropriate to review the comprehensiveness of these legal provisions and the capacities for implementation of the same.

The presentation should focus on how to secure tenure rights on state lands, present options on how to deal with outstanding compensation, and review whether the provisions in the Land Act with respect to the procedure for compulsory acquisition and payment of compensation is enough to address the compensation issues. It should highlight the major challenges such as outstanding compensation, encroachments, unauthorized change of land-use, under- utilization of state lands, return of state lands to pre-acquisition owners and political interference in state land management. The Presentation should also touch on opportunities for revenue mobilization, redevelopment, and proper implementation of planning schemes among others.

1. Mining-Land Tenure-Land use planning nexus: What are the issues? Why are we in this situation? What should be done?
Presenter: Prof S. O. Asiama.

2. Forest tenure-land tenure nexus: What are the issues and opportunities for improvement?
Presenter: Roselyn Fosuah Adjei (Forestry Commission).

3. Water rights-land tenure nexus: What are the laws on water rights and how do they affect community access and control of water?
Presenter: Dr Bernadette Araba Adjei (Water Resources Commission)

Chairman:Kwadwo Yeboah (LUSPA)