Buying Land in Ghana is a delicate minefield that one must tread carefully or risk having his hard earned money go down the drain or have a costly legal battle hung around his neck. Criss Waddle
But if you’re lucky, did all due diligence and acquired a land devoid of litigation whatsoever, that is just the first of a series of laps to cross in order to ensure that you have a good night sleep knowing your land is secured.
1. GET A LAND TITLE: Getting a land title immediately after securing the land is paramount as this gives you the legal ownership of the land. Note that with exception of a few regional capitals, most areas in Ghana doesn’t require one to have a land title, possession of a duly signed indenture is enough.
2. BUILD A WALL: Even before you buy a land in Ghana, make sure you have saved enough to build a wall around it. To quote young Ghanaian real estate businessman and musician Criss Waddle, “If you don’t have money to build a wall, don’t buy a land in Ghana”.
Buying Land in Ghana from the right owners doesn’t guarantee that the land will be yours for long, especially in the regional capitals, as same piece of land could be sold to several others if you leave it without any activity. Building a wall will ward off any attempts to sell it to others as prospective buyers will notice there’s someone already on the land and back off.
3. BEFRIEND A LOCAL: In a preponderance of cases, land owners usually reside away from the location of their land and only visits the land site occasionally. It is therefore advisable to befriend a local who would be monitoring activities on the land and inform you in case there’s an attempt to sell the land, encroachment or building activity on the land without your knowledge. Such prompt information will help you act timeously to protect your interest in the land.
By: Joseph Naah-Yerreh
