Vice President of IMANI Africa, Kofi Bentil, has commended President John Mahama for reversing the sale of state lands that were disposed of under the previous administration.

He called for a more transparent system to prevent political misuse of public assets.

While praising President Mahama for halting questionable land allocations, Mr Bentil called on him to go further by institutionalising strict rules that would prevent any future discretionary allocation of state properties.

"I commend President Mahama. President Mahama has stopped one thing, but he can do more. In four years, he can publish rules under Article 296 to ensure that no Chief of Staff, no government official, may allocate state property to any private person under any circumstance except through a lawful process," he urged President Mahama in an interview on JoyNews' Newsfile on Saturday, March 8.

He stressed that public officials must adopt a stewardship mindset rather than treating governance as an opportunity for personal enrichment.

"People must go into government knowing they are stewards. A steward doesn’t enter office looking to loot as if they have just won a war," he said.

He argued that state assets—whether lands, vehicles, or buildings—should only be disposed of through due process to ensure fairness and accountability.

He highlighted how successive governments have exploited legal loopholes to allocate state resources to political allies and cronies.

He further pointed to Article 296, which requires those in positions of discretion to establish clear, published guidelines for decision-making, ensuring that public resources are allocated transparently.

"When it comes to state vehicles, the Chief of Staff will write a letter granting what is more or less a waiver for a car to be sold to someone. That is not lawful. The Chief of Staff does not have that authority. The same goes for state lands," he asserted.

Citing Article 257 of the Constitution, which vests state lands in the President, and Public Procurement Act 663, which outlines how assets should be lawfully disposed of, Mr Bentil argued that state properties must be auctioned to the highest bidder to ensure that the nation benefits fully.