President John Dramani Mahama has received the procurement report marking the official kickstart of consultancy and feasibility work on the Green Digital City, a planned new settlement designed to ease congestion in Accra. He disclosed this during a courtesy visit by the Greater Accra Regional House of Chiefs to the Jubilee House on July 21, 2026.
The President said the report signals that a long-discussed decongestion plan is now moving into active implementation, with land for the new city expected to stretch from the Accra plains into parts of the Volta and eastern regions.
He explained that once completed, some government offices and agencies currently based in Accra would relocate to the new city, easing the strain on infrastructure and services in the capital.
President Mahama told the chiefs that the procurement report represented a tangible step in a project that has moved from planning into implementation. “Only today I receive the procurement report for the start of work for the consultancy and the feasibility study for what we call the Green Digital City,” he said.
The initiative forms part of a broader decentralization strategy that would see government functions distributed beyond the capital, reducing pressure on Accra’s roads, housing, and public services while opening new land for planned development in the eastern corridor.
Government Moves Against Undervalued Land Deals
Beyond the Green Digital City announcement, the President used the engagement to address what he described as the undervalued disposal of public lands to influential individuals.
He said his administration is determined to end the practice of allocating state property arbitrarily or transferring it to politically exposed or well-connected persons through opaque arrangements. “Public property must not be allocated arbitrarily or transferred to politically exposed or well-connected individuals through opaque land arrangements,” he said.
According to the President, the government has already reviewed a number of questionable land transactions, halted the processing of titles for some uncompleted allocations, and reclaimed certain parcels of land that had been sold improperly.
He announced that new legislation is being prepared to subject the disposal of public lands and other state assets to clear and transparent legal procedures, with the added requirement of prior parliamentary approval.
President Mahama added that where public lands have already been developed, occupants may be required to pay the true value of the property rather than benefit from undervalued or unfair transactions.
Reforming the Lands Commission and Digitising Records
The President also spoke about ongoing reforms at the Lands Commission, describing efforts to strengthen the digitisation of land records as central to improving transparency, preventing multiple sales of the same parcel, reducing corruption, and speeding up the processing of land documents.
He stressed that land administration must serve the public interest while protecting the rights of both traditional landowners and the state. In a related development, Mahama disclosed that Cabinet has approved the revocation of Executive Instrument 144, as amended, restoring the Achimota Forest Reserve to its full protected status.
He described the forest as the largest remaining urban forest in the country and said it must not be sacrificed for private development. “It must be protected as an environmental asset, a green buffer, and a national heritage for present and future generations,” he said.
Government to Continue Engagement with Traditional Authorities
The President assured the Greater Accra Regional House of Chiefs that government would continue engaging the House, the Lands Commission, the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, and other relevant institutions to resolve outstanding matters relating to compensation, land ownership, state acquisitions, and the lawful use of public lands.
He said the government’s approach in all such matters would be guided by transparency, fairness, accountability, and respect for the legitimate interests of the Ga-Adangbe people.
Taken together, the President’s remarks tie the Green Digital City project to a wider push for land governance reform, positioning both the new urban development and the Achimota Forest Reserve decision as part of a broader effort to correct decades of contested land management in the Greater Accra Region.
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