Associated Challenges of Urban Land Acquisition and Development Procedures in Ghana: A Case Study of Kumasi

Abstract

Urban land acquisition and development in Ghana is a difficult process, involving the navigation of complex land tenure systems, dealing with inadequate documentation, high costs, and resolving disputes over land ownership. These challenges make the process extremely time-consuming. This study aims to analyse existing practices in urban land acquisition and development procedures, and establish the strengths and weaknesses of urban land acquisition in Kumasi. The essence is to improve urban land acquisition and development in Kumasi and the rest of the country. The study employed the use of semistructured interviews with experts on the subject matter who were purposively selected for primary data collection. The study also depended on scholarly articles, policy documents, and research papers for its secondary data. The findings indicate that some of the challenges in urban land acquisition and development included expensive procedures, improper record keeping, overlapping bureaucracies, unqualified or untrained middlemen, lack of transparency and accountability, and delays in permit approvals among others. It revealed some strengths, which included spelt-out procedures, the availability of governing laws for land acquisition and development, and established agencies for the management of land issues. It is recommended that strict enforcement of laws, proper record keeping, merger of some functions, provision of adequate resources for field officials, and an online tracking system should be in place