Tropentag, September 16 - 18, 2026, Göttingen "Towards multi-functional agro-ecosystems promoting climate-resilient futures"

Large-scale land acquisitions and customary land rights: Post-closure dynamics of biofuel investments in Ghana

¹University of Kassel, International Agricultural Policy and Environmental Governance, Germany
²University of Passau, Chair of Critical Development Studies, Germany
³University of Cape Coast, School for Development Studies, Ghana
⁴Ghana Permaculture Institute, Ghana

Abstract

In the early 2000s, significant portions of customary land in Ghana were leased to foreign investors for biofuel feedstock production, reflecting broader market-driven transformations of tropical landscapes. However, rather than becoming a success story, many of these investment projects failed over time, exposing critical gaps in governance and policy frameworks. This study adopts a single-case study approach to examine the post-closure dynamics and their impacts on host communities involved in large-scale land acquisitions for biofuel feedstock production. The focus is on how such investments, and their subsequent failure have impacted the land governance regime and what the implications thereof are for the different community members.

Primary data was collected from Wassa Manso division in the Western region of Ghana. The data were analysed using thematic analysis with the support of MAXQDA software. Findings show that post-closure dynamics are characterised by intensified struggles over access, use, and control, coupled with the emergence of new forms of collective organisation and local autonomy as chiefs, landlords, tenants, new investors, and illegal miners sought to reposition themselves within an evolving land governance landscape. Practices such as intensified cultivation, strategic crop choices, and physical occupation became key practices through which community members sought to assert and secure land claims, transforming everyday farming into a visible assertion of ownership and resistance.

The study demonstrates that the closure of large-scale agricultural investments does not mark an endpoint but rather initiates a prolonged and contested post-closure phase characterised by increased vulnerability, opportunities for institutional innovation and strengthened community solidarity. Based on these insights, participatory and inclusive mechanisms in customary land leasing processes should be mandatory, alongside more comprehensive evaluation of large-scale agricultural investments beyond narrow economic metrics to incorporate social, environmental, and livelihood outcomes in tropical landscapes.

Keywords: Agriculture, biofuel, customary land, land acquisitions, post-closure, property rights

Contact Address: Grace Mudombi-Rusinamhodzi, University of Kassel, International Agricultural Policy and Environmental Governance, 37213 Witzenhausen, Germany, e-mail: mudombigraceyahoo.com