Peri-Urban Land Tenure in Ghana (Accra): Case Study of Bortianor

Abstract

Ghana’s land tenure system, which comprises of a blend of customary and state tenure systems, is viewed as complex networks of interrelationships characterized by social, political and human activity. Land conflicts and tenure insecurity are notable, and mostly experienced in areas transitioning from rural to urban settings. Comaroff’s dialectical framework and a case study method involving in-depth interviews and documentations were used to examine the cause of lands problems and the evolving land tenure administration in Bortianor, a peri-urban area in Accra, Ghana. The study revealed that the interaction of customary and statutory tenure systems within weak state and the customary institutional and regulatory frameworks leads to high rate of tenure insecurity, particularly for the vulnerable members of the community. The case also provides insights into observable social change patterns, instructive for land tenure administration where customary tenure rules evolve in a rapidly changing environment.