Spousal Land Transactions in Ghana: The Dilemma of the Land Administrator

The Land Act 2020 (Act 1036), which seeks to ensure sustainable land administration and management, has introduced statutory restrictions on the transfer of land by spouses in Ghana. This restriction has placed a burden on public land administrators and the general public in scrutinising land transactions in Ghana, particularly what constitutes spousal land transactions, how they are determined, and how they are managed. Unfortunately, not much attention is placed on spousal land transactions in Ghana. This paper, therefore, seeks to examine the statutory restrictions imposed by the Land Act, on spousal land transactions in Ghana and the burden on public land administrators in giving effect to this legislative prescription. Through explorative interviews, the Paper exposes the challenges of land administrators in applying these restrictions in spousal land transactions in Ghana. The Paper concludes by recommending the effective operationalisation of restrictions on spousal land transactions in Ghana.