On October 2, 2026, excavators were deployed along the Labadi coastline, demolishing walls, kiosks, bars, and concrete extensions. The demolition, which affected businesses, vendors, and tourists, was a result of years of trespassing on the littoral rights of the SSNIT-owned resorts and growing flagrant encroachment and code violations. The state cited the need for a reset of law and order. The demolitions have raised fundamental questions about beach ownership in Ghana.
According to Ghanaian law, the beach is not private property, and the foreshore belongs to the state. The Land Act, 2020 (Act 1036), the Constitution, and long-standing common law state that the foreshore and the land 50 to 100 meters inland from it are public land vested in the President on behalf of the people. No individual, stool, family, or hotel can own it. Labadi Beach Hotel and La Palm Beach Resort hold leases for their parcels, but the beach itself is held on permissive use.
In the last 15 years, the permissive use of the beach has turned into spontaneous accretion of permanent construction, with some level of connivance of traditional authorities in the area. Concrete walls, permanent restaurants, nightclubs, swimming pools, and rental apartments were erected directly on the active beach, well within the high-water zone. Most of these structures had no permit from the Ghana Tourism Authority, no coastal development permit from the Land Use and Spatial Planning Authority (LUSPA), no Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) permit, and no building permits.
Public safety concerns arising from ocean erosion have also contributed to the demolitions. The Greater Accra coastline has receded to a cumulative distance of 30 meters since 2005, averaging between 2 to 4 meters per year. The unregulated physical structures disrupt littoral drift, the natural movement of sand that forms an embankment and protects the beach from further erosion.
In 2022, the Cabinet approved a National Coastal Development Buffer 50 meters from the high-water mark for new development, and 100 meters in high-risk areas like Labadi, Ada, and Elmina. Permanent structures are not permitted inside this buffer without Cabinet approval. The Labadi demolitions are the first high-profile application in Accra, following similar exercises in the Sakumono Ramsar site.
The rights of Labadi Beach Hotel and La Palm Beach Resort are currently a point of contention. Adjoining landowners have two distinct rights in law: the right of access and the right to property enjoyment without nuisance. While they have a common law right of access to and from the sea over the foreshore, they do not have automatic or natural rights to unobstructed views unless it was expressly granted in the title or deed.
Following the demolition, clearing of debris, and proper remediation actions are expected to be taken to restore the shoreline as a managed public beach with the needed amenities like restrooms and lifeguards to enhance its healthy and safe public use. The demolitions have sparked a debate over beach ownership in Ghana, with Arc. Frank Eshun, the author of the article, calling for a reset of law and order.
Key points
- The Labadi shoreline demolitions were carried out due to encroachment and code violations.
- The beach is not private property, and the foreshore belongs to the state.
- The demolitions have raised questions over who owns the shoreline in Ghana.
