The State Housing Company Limited (SHC) has issued a final notice to individuals, developers and entities occupying its lands and properties without authorisation, warning that demolitions, legal proceedings and security agency enforcement will follow if compliance is not achieved within 21 days of the February 16 notice.
The directive was issued in a press statement released from SHC’s head office on Ring Road West in Accra and forms part of a broader government initiative coordinated through the Ministry of Works, Housing and Water Resources to protect state assets from encroachment.
SHC said a recent nationwide land audit uncovered significant levels of unauthorised occupation, encroachment and development on company-owned properties across various parts of Ghana. Management described the situation as a direct threat to the company’s statutory mandate to provide quality and affordable housing for Ghanaians, a mission it has held since its establishment as the Gold Coast Housing Corporation in 1956.
The company has directed all persons and entities occupying, developing, selling, leasing or laying claim to any SHC land or property without valid and verifiable documentation issued directly by the company to cease such activities immediately. It emphasised that state lands carry full legal protection under the Land Act, 2020 (Act 1036), and that unauthorised occupation constitutes both a criminal and civil offence under Ghanaian law.
SHC is offering encroachers who can demonstrate a legitimate basis for regularisation a structured pathway to resolve their status before enforcement begins. Affected parties are required to halt all development activities immediately, report to any SHC office nationwide within 21 days for formal verification, and submit a written application for regularisation of their interest, subject to the company’s planning and zoning requirements.
The company warned that failure to comply after the 21-day window expires will trigger a range of enforcement responses including civil and criminal legal proceedings, physical demolition of unauthorised structures, outright recovery of occupied lands and properties, and direct collaboration with state security agencies to enforce the order.
SHC also issued a strong public advisory urging anyone intending to purchase, lease or invest in land or property to verify all relevant documentation directly with the company before committing funds. It stated categorically that it will bear no responsibility for losses arising from transactions conducted with unauthorised persons purporting to sell or lease its assets.
The notice reflects an intensifying national push to recover and protect state-owned land following years of encroachment on public assets across Accra and other urban centres. The Lands Commission, the Office of the Administrator of Stool Lands and other state institutions have conducted parallel enforcement exercises in recent months targeting illegal occupation of public reserves, waterway buffers and institutional lands.
Ghana’s housing deficit stands at approximately two million units, according to the Ministry of Works, Housing and Water Resources, with urban areas accounting for the majority of the shortfall. SHC plays a central role in addressing that deficit through its construction and estate management programmes, and officials have argued that encroachment on company lands directly reduces the stock of sites available for affordable housing development.
Members of the public seeking verification or clarification may contact SHC by telephone on 0302-221422, by email at [email protected], or in person at any company office nationwide.
