Cabinet Directs New State Assets Protection Bill 2026
President Mahama announces legal framework to prevent arbitrary disposal of public properties, citing past opaque transactions.
Grace Adjei | StatsGH |
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The proposed legislation will provide clear legal guidelines. It will govern how state assets, including lands, buildings, and factories, may be disposed of. This move seeks to prevent future governments from arbitrarily selling or transferring state properties without strict rules, procedures, and accountability.
This development places state asset management at the centre of Ghana’s governance reform agenda. Public debate over the sale and transfer of public lands and properties remains politically sensitive. Concerns have grown about the loss of state lands and factories through opaque transactions and politically connected allocations.
President Mahama disclosed this decision at the fourth Annual Convening of the Ghana Civil Society Forum in Accra. He stated the bill ensures no government can dispose of state assets “capriciously”. This reform targets issues of transparency and public-interest justification for asset transfers, which have long been criticized.
The new bill’s effectiveness depends on its content. It must define what constitutes a state asset and who has authority for disposal. Clear valuation processes, parliamentary scrutiny, and public disclosure obligations are essential. Competitive bidding rules and conflict-of-interest safeguards also need inclusion.
State assets are public resources held in trust for citizens. Their disposal impacts land use, public finance, and national development planning. Untransparent sales can lead to loss of valuable property, weakened institutions, and enrichment of a few individuals.
Ghana’s public asset regime has suffered from fragmented records. Different institutions often hold incomplete or outdated asset registers. A comprehensive and regularly updated national asset register is crucial for effective enforcement of any legal framework.
The proposed bill should therefore link to a transparent digital register of state assets. This register would show location, ownership, and current use. This will allow public scrutiny, parliamentary oversight, and accountability.
President Mahama also announced Cabinet's approval of the National Ethics and Anti-Corruption Action Plan 2026–2030. This new plan will be submitted to Parliament. This latest anti-corruption initiative builds on Ghana’s earlier 10-year National Anti-Corruption Action Plan, presented in 2015. These two Cabinet decisions reinforce the administration’s broader commitment to accountability and strengthened governance.