In a move aimed at curbing the “rampant sale” and alleged looting of state property, President John Dramani Mahama has announced plans to present a new law to Parliament to strip the Executive of the sole authority to divest public assets.
The proposed Divestiture of Public Property Bill will seek to ensure that any sale, transfer or privatisation of state-owned lands, factories, and other assets must first secure explicit parliamentary approval.
The President made the revelation during an interaction with the Ghanaian Diaspora Community in Lusaka, Zambia, last Wednesday as part of his three-day state visit to the southern African country.
Accompanied by his wife, Lordina Dramani Mahama, the delegation also included the Executive Secretary to the President, Dr Callistus Mahama; the Presidential Advisor and Special Aide, Joyce Bawa Mogtari; and the Deputy Chief of Staff in charge of Operations at the Presidency, Stan Xoese Dogbe.
Also on the trip are the Presidential Spokesperson and Minister for Government Communications, Felix Kwakye Ofosu; the Minister of Education, Haruna Iddrisu; the Minister of Communication, Digital Technology and Innovations, Samuel Nartey George; and the Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection, Dr Agnes Naa Momo Lartey.
President Mahama said the legislation was a critical safeguard to ensure that the people, through their representatives, had a final say over the disposal of the nation’s wealth.
“This will stop the rampant sale of government assets,” President Mahama declared.
He cited the previous administration’s attempt to hand over the Tema Oil Refinery (TOR) to a private entity for 15 years as a prime example of the kind of decision that would require parliamentary scrutiny under the new regime.
“One government can come and just mortgage public property without the say of the people’s representatives,” he stated.
“If (parliamentarians) think that it is fair, they will approve it. If they think it’s not fair, they don’t approve of it, then it can’t happen,” he added.
Digitising lands
Beyond the legislative push, the President outlined a twin strategy to reform land administration and recover undervalued public lands.
He announced the government’s introduction of Blockchain Technology to digitise the records of the Land Registry, a move expected to eliminate fraudulent double sales of land by individuals and chiefs.
“For public lands, they set up a committee that presented its report,” he said, revealing that his administration had already cancelled several non-processed leases, adding that “these were public lands that were just distributed and looted.”