Buying Land in Ghana, 101

Land purchasing in Ghana may not be simple, but it can be accomplished without all the hassle usually experienced by those who come to buy land in Ghana.  Prudence and due diligence are the simple elements to insuring your piece of land, while maintaining your peace of mind.  Here we walk you through the simple steps:

Find land of your choice. First and foremost, you must choose property in an area of optimum benefit to your personal tastes and requirements.  Ghana is a vastly sparse state, with drastically varying landscapes, we have metropolitan, suburban, country sides, beach fronts and mountainous areas.  No choice is more important in determining your future satisfaction or the prosperity of your endeavors than the right location.  For this reason we suggest you properly scout the areas and weigh the differences.  Prices will inevitably get cheaper, the further you go from the metropolitan, but so may the cost of transportation.  If you need help deciding where is best for you, we will assist by giving comparative views, based on your specific requests.

Negotiate price with land owner.  Once you have selected an area, you will be directed to available lands in that area.  After choosing a land most suitable for your needs then we will arrange to meet with the land owner.  You will have a very good idea on what a plot or acre will cost before that meeting, but depending on your buying power, you may want to beat the price down or set up special payment terms.  At this time we also determine if the land will be sold as freehold land (an irrevocable sale) or a long term lease, which returns the land to its original owners in 50 or 99 years.  Technically a non-Ghanaian does not have the right to own land outright in Ghana, however a Ghanaian business is a Ghanaian entity and it may own land outright.  We will counsel you in the best approach for your unique situation.

Title search.   Before any money changes hands we begin our due diligence.  Having agreed upon a price we will have the consent of the land owner to investigate the title of the land and insure there are no existing disputes over it.  A common occurrence is that someone purchased the land a few years ago, traveled and hasn’t returned so the land owner assumes he or she won’t be coming back.  He then takes this opportunity to resell the land at a higher rate.  If that person registered the land, then Lands Commission will reflect a conflict of interest and alert us to an existing purchaser.  Otherwise, it will reflect a free and clear land which we will have legal right to have and hold in accordance with the indenture (contract of sale).

Demarcation. In preparation for the surveyor, the perimeter around the land must be cleared in order to identify the land and its boundaries.  It is also suggested that the land itself is cleared thoroughly in order to get a good view of its topography.  Generally, unused land grows bushes or is farmed upon, if the latter is the case then total clearing may include the cost of the farmed produce.

Survey the land. Our surveyor will meet you at the land and you will specify your desired boundaries.  This will be done in the company of the land owner to insure that the survey reflects the land both parties wish to trade.  After making out the points the surveyor will provide a site plan with specific and exact boundaries of your land.

Topography.  If the land is un-chartered, that is, in that area lands have not been sold before, then they must prepare a topography to cover the area for Lands Commission.  This rarely happens unless the land is in a fairly remote region.

Prepare indenture.  The contract of sale must now be prepared.  Land owners generally prepare their indenture and bring it to the table, but we provide our clients with indentures prepared by our team to reflect the specific needs and requests of our client.  Once it is prepared and reviewed by our lawyer then we make a date to have the closing.

Closing. In accordance with the agreement we reached at the initial negotiation, we perform the necessary rites and present the necessary monies to the land owner.  At that time we sign three copies of the indenture, along with our witnesses and that of the landlord’s.  Pictures are taken and videos are also made to serve as supporting evidence of our transaction.

Register the land.  Immediately after purchasing the land we begin with the registration process.  This establishes our ownership with the government’s registry, the Lands Commission.  This also protects us in the event there is a future dispute.

Put pillars on the land.  Once the land has been purchased then we install pillars, (6’ poles (5-10)), around the perimeter of the land.  These pillars serve to alert persons to the beginning of a boundary, in place of a more imposing wall or gate.  These will suffice for as much as 6 months, but should be followed with a structure on the land or a more impenetrable barrier.

Build structure.  Although it is not required that you have the money to build something on your land right away, it is suggested that you factor that into your budget.  Lands that are in dispute get that way because the second buyer was unaware of the presence of the first.  By building upon the land you allay all questions, even in your absence, of your presence.  The first structure can be a 2 room quarters that house the caretaker of the land, it will eventually be converted into a servant’s quarters.

Cost. The cost of the land will vary drastically, depending on the part of Ghana that you choose, but our clients can be expected to pay the following fees for services associated with your land purchase.

We also offer an attorney to dot the i’s and cross the t’s, but we prefer if you employ your own counsel to double check the work of our team.  We work with highly professional contractors who work directly in the Lands Commission to insure the credibility of our work.

*Please note:  Agents fees are usually attached to the price of the land, with the agent’s fees growing astronomically with larger purchases.  Our flat fee insures you get the best price for the land and we, the agents, are able to earn a fair rate for our services.  In addition, as your agents we make sure all the above measures are taken to protect your investment.