Who We Are
A 501(c)(3) nonprofit defending ancestral land rights in Ghana and the Global South since 2023.
A Mission Rooted in Justice and Community
Land Rights Defenders is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, with active field operations in Ghana's Ashanti Region. We were founded on the conviction that every community has an inalienable right to the land their ancestors cultivated — and that no fraud, corruption, or exploitation should be able to take that away.
Our work spans supporting and funding community legal fights, community empowerment, and policy engagement. We operate at the intersection of funding, community organizing, and international development to defend land rights at every level — from the village courtyard to the halls of international governance.
Support Our Work
Our Mission
To defend the ancestral and community land rights of Indigenous peoples in Ghana and the Global South by supporting and funding their legal fights, empowering communities, and driving policy change.
Our Vision
A world where every community's right to their ancestral land is recognized, protected, and enforced — free from fraud, exploitation, and dispossession.
Our Values
Justice, transparency, community-first advocacy, cultural respect, and unwavering commitment to the rule of law as the foundation for lasting land rights protection.
From One Community's Fight to a Global Mission
Land Rights Defenders was born from a crisis. When the Benimasi-Boadi community in Ghana's Ashanti Region faced the fraudulent seizure of their ancestral lands, founder Nana Kwesi Osei Bonsu — himself a seventh-generation descendant of the founder of the Ashanti — refused to stand by. These were not merely farmlands. They are the sacred grounds where the bones of cherished ancestors rest, the heritage sites of a covenant stretching back to King Osei Tutu and the founding of the Ashanti Empire. To lose them is not only to lose property — it is to lose identity, memory, and the spiritual continuity of an entire people.
The seizure of the 1,298.33 acres of Benimasi-Boadi — ancestral land granted by King Osei Tutu to his cherished consort, Oheneyere Huahi Yaa Achama Tutuwaa — involved desecrated tombs and a coordinated campaign of persecution by powerful interests. What began as a single act of support for the community's legal fight grew into a sustained mission that would cost Nana everything.
The price he paid for refusing to surrender was steep. He was forced into exile from the very land his ancestors had held for generations. His entry into U.S. immigration detention was not as a criminal, but a necessary procedural step to formally initiate a political asylum claim — a process that ultimately resulted in the granting of humanitarian protection, affording him refuge to pursue justice from abroad. It was in that silence, far from home and stripped of everything familiar, that Land Rights Defenders was conceived — not as an organization, but as a vow.
Incorporated as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit in the United States, Land Rights Defenders has since expanded its reach to serve communities across Ghana and build international awareness of land rights violations affecting Indigenous peoples throughout the Global South. The organization has been recognized by the International Business Times, USA Today, and other independent media for its impactful work.
A Note on Our Funding
Since our founding, Land Rights Defenders has been sustained entirely through the personal contributions of our founder and leadership — a testament to the depth of our commitment to this cause. No external donor has funded this fight. Every filing, every legal intervention, every community visit has been financed out of personal sacrifice. We are now building a broader community of supporters so that this mission can grow beyond what one family can carry alone. Your support — however large or small — directly changes that equation.
Today, Land Rights Defenders operates with a dedicated team of advocates, community organizers, and legal support coordinators on two continents. We invite you to stand with us.
Our Journey
Ancestral Grant — Founding of the Ashanti Empire
Asantehene Osei Tutu I grants the Benimasi-Boadi lands to his cherished consort, Oheneyere Huahi Yaa Achama Tutuwaa, as an inviolable ancestral estate. The lands are held in perpetuity by the Huahi Achama Tutuwaa Royal Family under Ashanti customary law.
Limited Government Lease — Excludes Heritage and Burial Grounds
A time-limited government lease is executed over a portion of the Boadi lands. Critically, the lease does not include the sacred heritage and burial grounds, and the Benimasi-Boadi ancestral lands as a whole are not part of the government acquisition that forms KNUST. The Huahi Achama Tutuwaa Royal Family retains full allodial title throughout.
KNUST Begins Encroaching on Lands Outside Its Acquisition
KNUST begins encroaching upon and selling portions of the Benimasi-Boadi ancestral lands — lands that were never part of the original government acquisition that formed KNUST. The community's allodial title is unencumbered and has never been lawfully extinguished. KNUST has no legal basis to occupy or dispose of any portion of this land.
The Advocacy Movement Begins
What began as a personal mission to defend the Benimasi-Boadi ancestral lands grows into a structured advocacy movement. Nana Kwesi Osei Bonsu — a lineal descendant of the Royal Family and court-recognized lawful attorney — leads systematic documentation: GPS-verified land surveys, archival research, oral testimony from elders, and photographic evidence of unauthorized encroachment. This grassroots movement would eventually give birth to the formal founding of Land Rights Defenders Inc.
High Court Judgement — Justice Senyo Amedahe. Suit No. C1/65/2020
Suit No. C1/65/2020 concerns a 116.152-acre parcel within the Huahi Achama Tutuwaa Royal Family's larger 1,298.33-acre ancestral holding. The 2020 statement of claim describes that parcel, and Justice E. Senyo Amedahe granted relief A as endorsed on the writ, with reference to the plan. The judgment was subsequently set aside, prompting an appeal.
Subverting Justice — Corruption and Institutional Interference
A key development occurred when the 2020 judgement delivered by Justice Senyo Amedahe was controversially set aside one year later. This action was contrary to established civil procedure and is alleged to have occurred as a result of institutional interference. The setting aside of the judgement represented a serious setback to the rule of law and the Family's hard-won judicial recognition of their allodial title.
Appeal Filed Against the Setting Aside of the Original Judgement
An appeal was formally filed to challenge the ruling that set aside the judgement previously delivered by Justice Senyo Amedahe. This legal action asserts that the setting aside of the 2020 judgement was erroneous and contrary to established civil procedure. The appeal centres on the fact that the application to vacate the judgement was initiated by a "stranger to the suit" — an individual who was neither a party to the original litigation nor a member of the specific lineage involved. The trial court's decision to entertain this third-party application allowed for an abuse of the court process, as the applicant adopted inconsistent legal positions that misled the judicial proceedings. The appeal maintains that this irregular intervention occasioned a miscarriage of justice, which is now being sought to be rectified through the appellate court.
The Chancellor's Threats Against Land Rights Defenders
The Chancellor of KNUST publicly threatened any dissent or rights defenders with violence, stating that anyone who challenged him would have to face "his wrath" and further asserting that no court could overturn any decision he makes. These public statements — made by an individual who simultaneously holds the position of Chancellor of a public university — represent a direct challenge to the rule of law, judicial independence, and the constitutional rights of Indigenous land defenders in Ghana.
Reign of Terror
Following the filing of the appeal, a series of retaliatory events occurred. A Public Lands Officer who had previously validated the Family's land ownership rights through a legal certificate disappeared without explanation. The head of the Benimasi-Boadi family was abducted and taken to the Palace, where he was subjected to public humiliation and torture in the presence of the Chancellor. Nana Kwesi Osei Bonsu was unlawfully detained in police custody for six days, where he was subjected to torture in an apparent attempt to criminalize his assertion of economic and cultural rights. During this period of escalation, a legal representative for the Chancellor explicitly threatened Nana Kwesi Osei Bonsu, warning him to abandon the legal case or face severe consequences.
Criminalization as a Weapon
Nana Kwesi Osei Bonsu was targeted through the deliberate use of criminal charges to suppress his efforts in defending community interests. Despite operating with full legal capacity and possessing valid documentation, he was criminalized for asserting his economic rights after entering into commercial agreements specifically designed to fund and protect the community's land rights. In an attempt to delegitimize these lawful efforts, he was formally charged with "selling land without title" — a move that served as a tool for state-backed intimidation and a direct attempt to silence his advocacy. Following a lengthy and arduous trial, the judicial process ultimately vindicated Nana Kwesi Osei Bonsu; he was acquitted and discharged of all charges, confirming that the legal pursuit lacked merit.
Government Complicity — Failure to Enforce Human Rights Laws
Despite a formal judgment by the Human Rights Division of the Accra High Court in Suit No. HR/0026/2023, presided over by Justice Barbara Tetteh Charway, which declared that Nana Kwesi Osei Bonsu's fundamental human rights were violated by prolonged detention and degrading treatment in police custody, the government failed to provide effective remedies, including punitive damages. This demonstrates a lack of political will to hold rights violators accountable and highlights the state's complicity in denying justice for these egregious violations.
U.S. Incorporation as 501(c)(3) Nonprofit
Land Rights Defenders is incorporated as a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt nonprofit organization in the United States, establishing an international platform for advocacy, fundraising, and legal support for Indigenous land rights communities across the Global South.
Circuit Court Judgement — Justice Abdul Razak Musah
His Lordship Abdul Razak Musah, sitting as Additional Circuit Judge at Kumasi (Suit No. A1/73/2023), enters full judgement in favour of the Huahi Achama Tutuwaa Royal Family. The Court declares Oheneyere Yaa Huahi Achama Tutuwaa as the allodial owner of the Benimasi-Boadi lands, confirms the Head of Family's exclusive legal capacity to deal with the land, declares all purported sales by the 1st Defendant null and void, and grants a permanent injunction and recovery of possession. Cost of GH¢5,000 is awarded against the defendants.
Oral Statement on Indigenous Land Rights & Climate Justice — UNPFII 23rd Session
Land Rights Defenders delivers a formal oral statement at the 23rd Session of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues in New York, drawing on the historical antecedents of the Benimasi-Boadi Indigenous community and the landmark Circuit Court judgement declaring allodial title. The statement calls on member states to enforce FPIC principles and protect Indigenous land defenders from persecution, presenting the community's case as a global example of systematic dispossession.
Writ of Summons Filed — Benimasi-Boadi v. KNUST
A Writ of Summons is filed in the High Court of Justice (Land Division), Kumasi, as Suit No. ASH/ADK/HC/E1/177/25. The case names KNUST and the Lands Commission as defendants and seeks a declaration, permanent prohibition, cancellation of KNUST's title, and full damages for the ongoing desecration of the sacred heritage site.
Injunction Ruling — KNUST Ordered to Post GH¢1,000,000 Undertaking
The High Court refuses the interlocutory injunction but orders KNUST to execute a GH¢1,000,000 undertaking at the court registry within two weeks. An expedited trial is ordered. Construction on the sacred grounds continues unabated.
Oral Statement on Indigenous Land Rights & Climate Justice — UNPFII 24th Session
Land Rights Defenders delivers a second formal oral statement at the 24th Session of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues in New York. Drawing on the historical antecedents of the Benimasi-Boadi Indigenous community and the Circuit Court judgements affirming allodial title, the statement calls on member states to enforce FPIC principles and protect Indigenous land defenders from persecution, and highlights the community's case as a global example of systematic dispossession.
OHCHR Expert Meeting — Capacity Building for Local Government & Human Rights
Land Rights Defenders participates in an Expert Meeting on Enhancing Capacity Building for Local Government to Involve Human Rights in All Aspects of Their Work, contributing practical insights on the legal, security, and institutional barriers faced by land rights defenders operating in Ghana and the Global South, and advocating for human rights-centred governance frameworks at the local level.
High Court Trial — Benimasi-Boadi v. KNUST
The substantive trial is scheduled before the High Court of Justice, Kumasi. The case will determine whether KNUST's occupation and development of the Benimasi-Boadi ancestral lands — including the sacred burial grounds of Oheneyere Huahi Yaa Achama Tutuwaa — is unlawful, and whether the Family is entitled to the full reliefs sought.
The People Behind the Mission
Our team brings together expertise in law, community development, nonprofit governance, and field advocacy.
Phonan J. Bonsu
President
Phonan J. Bonsu has dedicated over two decades to Indigenous land rights advocacy across West Africa. With a background in community law and international development, he leads Land Rights Defenders' strategic direction and oversees all organizational operations from Columbus, Ohio.
Nana Kwesi Osei Bonsu
Founder, Executive Director & Global Ambassador
The founder and Executive Director of Land Rights Defenders, Nana Kwesi Osei Bonsu has been the driving force behind the organization's mission since its inception. As Global Ambassador, he represents the organization at international forums and maintains deep ties to the communities served in Ghana's Ashanti Region. He is also the author of The Last Guardian of Ashanti (forthcoming — release date to be announced), a memoir chronicling his lifelong fight to protect his people's ancestral land.
Author — The Last Guardian of Ashanti (Coming Soon)
Elizabeth Rand
Board Member
Elizabeth Rand brings extensive experience in nonprofit governance, grant writing, and U.S.-Africa development partnerships. She serves on the board to ensure organizational accountability, financial transparency, and strategic alignment with Land Rights Defenders' mission.
Geoffrey Lartey
Ghana Field Director
Based in Ghana's Ashanti Region, Geoffrey Lartey leads all field operations, community outreach, and case support coordination on the ground. His deep knowledge of local land tenure systems and relationships with community leaders are essential to the organization's effectiveness.
UN Engagement & Global Advocacy
Land Rights Defenders has engaged directly with United Nations bodies and international human rights mechanisms, bringing the voices of Indigenous communities in Ghana's Ashanti Region to the highest levels of global governance.
Land Rights Defenders addressing the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues — New York
UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII)
24th Session — New York, April 2025
Oral Statement on Indigenous Land Rights & Climate Justice
Land Rights Defenders delivered a formal oral statement at the 24th Session of the UNPFII in New York, calling on member states to enforce FPIC principles and protect Indigenous land defenders from persecution. The statement highlighted the Benimasi-Boadi case as a global example of systematic dispossession.
UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII)
23rd Session — New York, April 2024
Oral Statement on Ancestral Land Dispossession in Ghana
At the 23rd Session of the UNPFII, the organization presented documented evidence of the systematic dispossession of the Benimasi-Boadi community, urging the Forum to recognize the intersection of land rights violations and enforced disappearances in Ghana's Ashanti Region.
UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR)
Working Group on Enforced Disappearances — Written Submission
Submission on Land Defense & Enforced Disappearances in Ghana
A formal written submission to the UN Working Group on Enforced Disappearances documenting patterns of coercion, threats, and state-actor involvement in Ghana's Ashanti Region, specifically in relation to land rights defenders and community leaders.
UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR)
Expert Meeting on International Land Rights Defenders
Submission on Enhancing Capacity for Land Rights Defenders
A written contribution to the OHCHR Expert Meeting on Enhancing the Capacity of International Land Rights Defenders, outlining the specific legal, security, and institutional barriers faced by defenders operating in Ghana and the Global South.
Recognized at the Highest Levels of International Governance
Since 2024, Land Rights Defenders has participated in 2 sessions of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues and submitted formal contributions to 2 UN human rights mechanisms — placing the Benimasi-Boadi community's struggle on the international record.
Financial Transparency
Land Rights Defenders is committed to full financial transparency. As a 501(c)(3) organization, we publish our financial statements and legal documents so that donors, partners, and the communities we serve can trust that every dollar is used responsibly and effectively.
All donations to Land Rights Defenders are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law. Our 501(c)(3) determination letter is available for download below.