Ghana’s Real Estate Agency Council Prepares Crackdown on Unlicensed Agents and Brokers

Ghana’s Real Estate Agency Council is gearing up for an intensified enforcement campaign against unlicensed agents and brokers operating across the country, in what officials describe as a decisive move to clean up a sector long plagued by informality and consumer exploitation.

Jacob Adofo-Ansong, President of the Ghana Association of Real Estate Brokers (GARIB) and a Board Member of the Council, disclosed the planned crackdown at a stakeholder engagement with the Bank of Ghana on the collateral registry system in Accra. His message was blunt: the era of operating without a licence is drawing to a close.

“In the coming days, the Council will intensify its monitoring and enforcement activities,” Adofo-Ansong said. “There will be inspections of offices and operations, and individuals or firms found operating without licences will be dealt with according to the law.”

The enforcement push marks a significant escalation in the regulatory oversight of Ghana’s real estate market. While property brokerage has long operated in an informal grey area, the passage of the Real Estate Agency Act, 2020 (Act 1047) transformed the profession into a regulated business with clear standards, licensing requirements, and disciplinary processes. The gap between the law on paper and its implementation on the ground, however, has remained wide.

Adofo-Ansong acknowledged that many unlicensed operators continue to function in the market, presenting themselves as legitimate agents without registration or accountability. This, he argued, undermines the credibility of licensed professionals and exposes the public to fraud and property disputes that could otherwise be avoided.

The consequences of an unregulated market are not abstract. Property transactions in Ghana have historically been marred by disputes over ownership, hidden encumbrances, and outright fraud. The engagement with the Bank of Ghana’s Collateral Registry Department was designed to address one specific dimension of this problem: properties that have been pledged as loan security but are subsequently marketed or sold by brokers who either do not know or do not care about the encumbrance.

Fred Asiamah-Koranteng, Head of the Collateral Registry Department at the Bank of Ghana, underscored the importance of due diligence in property transactions. He pointed to the Borrowers and Lenders Act 2020 (Act 1052) and the establishment of the Collateral Registry as key innovations introduced to transform Ghana’s credit landscape by reducing risk and promoting a secure lending environment.

“You are at the forefront of property transactions and investment and, therefore, serve as key enablers responsible for ensuring transparency, due diligence, and trust within the industry,” Asiamah-Koranteng told the assembled brokers.

Signs of a broader regulatory shift are already visible. Banks across Ghana are now requiring proof of licensing before opening business accounts for real estate firms. Local assemblies are checking licences before approving signboards and billboards for property agencies. Even members of the diplomatic and international community are becoming more intentional about engaging only licensed practitioners.

Adofo-Ansong called on the media to play a constructive role by guiding the public towards licensed agents rather than generalising misconduct across the entire profession. He urged licensed professionals to help protect the sector by speaking up and reporting illegal operators.

“While concerns about the sector may exist, the public must also be told that there is now a regulator, there are licensed professionals, and there is a lawful structure in place to deal with misconduct and protect consumers,” he said.

The coming months will test whether the Council’s enforcement ambitions can match the scale of the problem. Ghana’s real estate market has grown rapidly in tandem with urbanisation and a rising middle class, but the regulatory infrastructure has not always kept pace. If the crackdown succeeds in driving unlicensed operators out of the market — or at least making illegal practice significantly riskier — it could mark a turning point for consumer confidence in the sector.

Image Source: GHANA BUSINESS NEWS