President Mahama to introduce bill to regulate sale and lease of public property

President John Dramani Mahama has announced plans to introduce legislation in Parliament to regulate the sale, lease and transfer of public property, as part of efforts to safeguard the public interest and strengthen accountability in the management of state assets.

The proposed Divestiture of Public Property Bill, according to the President, will make parliamentary approval mandatory before any public property, particularly government lands and assets can be sold, transferred or privatised.

“If you want to sell public property such as landed assets, you must seek the approval of the representatives of the people, which is Parliament,” President Mahama stated. “Any public land transaction will not be processed at the Lands Commission unless it is ratified by Parliament.”

The President said the move is intended to halt what he described as the rampant sale and mortgaging of government assets without public oversight, stressing that no administration should be allowed to dispose of state property without accountability.

President Mahama made the remarks on Wednesday evening [February 3, 2026] during an engagement with the Ghanaian diaspora in Lusaka, Zambia, as part of his three-day state visit to the Southern African country at the invitation of President Hakainde Hichilema.

Touching on state-owned enterprises, the President revealed that the Tema Oil Refinery (TOR) is operational again, noting that under the previous administration there were attempts to hand over the refinery to a private entity for 15 years.

“One government cannot just come and mortgage public property without the say of the people’s representatives,” he said, questioning the lack of public accountability in such arrangements.

He explained that once the Bill is passed, any plan to auction public land, sell government property or divest a state factory would be subject to parliamentary scrutiny.

“If Parliament thinks it is fair, they will approve it. If they think it is not fair, they will not approve it, and if they don’t approve it, it cannot happen,” the President said, adding that he has directed the Attorney-General to begin work on the legislation.