Improving tenure security for the poor in Africa

Ghana – country case study. Towards the improvement of tenure security for the poor in Ghana

Legal Empowerment of the Poor Working Paper #2

This paper provides an overview of the land tenure situation in Ghana. It focuses on the rural poor in terms of their access to natural resources, their vulnerability to major threats and the causes of their tenure insecurity. It also suggests approaches to securing property rights as a means for improving their livelihoods. Activities to enhance tenure security for the poor and vulnerable in Ghanaian rural communities require a comprehensive review of laws on the rights of women, protection of rights of the rural communities in the event of compulsory land acquisitions and enhancement of tenure security through formalization and registration. The paper also advocates recognition of secondary rights as part of a comprehensive rural programme on formalization of holdings and as the prerequisite for any land titling programme.

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