Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah,Minister for Lands and Natural Resources has declared that in order to ensure that due process was followed, the government has started a comprehensive examination and audit of all public lands sold in recent years. During Vice President Prof. Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang’s visit to the Ministry on Tuesday, January 27, the Minister said that the action’s goals are to protect public property and ensure the state receives value for its investment. He emphasized that any transaction will be null and void if it is found that established protocols were broken or that necessary procedures were not completed. He clarified that growing concerns that some public lands that the state had originally acquired for specific purposes, such as building and agriculture, had been unlawfully sold or improperly handled by officials tasked with their security were the reason behind the investigation. In order to serve as a deterrence, he threatened to publish the identities of officials found guilty in national media.

“We started the review process. One of the things we’ve all heard is that public properties obtained by the government for certain uses, like agricultural, were being abused by those tasked with protecting them.

“To address it, we assembled a team headed by my capable deputy and received cabinet permission. By the time we’re done, no government official will consider stealing public lands because we’ll put your name in every newspaper.

“A process audit was conducted, and all public lands that were sold are being reviewed to ensure there is value for the money. Those who failed to complete the procedures are automatically canceled.