Land Administration Project inaugurated

Accra, Jan 30, GNA- A systematic satellite land title office was inaugurated in Accra on Wednesday, to serve as a one-stop-shop where property owners could register their properties. The pilot satellite office, sited at Cantonments falls under the Land Administration Project initiated by the Ministry of Lands, Forestry and Mines to ensure that all properties within the Labone/Cantonments residential area were registered by the end of March this year as well as improve deeds and title registration in the country. The Project involves the systematic survey and preparation of plans for all the parcels in the area, a house-to-house exercise to request property owners to complete the registration forms, the publication of the application and the issuance of the title certificates to the property owners.

Ms Esther Obeng-Dapaah, the sector Minister who inaugurated the new office, said the Project would help correct the current system where title certificates were issued as and when property owners presented their document to the Land Title Registry. She said "This is sporadic in nature and does not allow a systematic approach to title registration, leaving gaps in the land register which does not allow the full benefits of title registration to be realised."

Ms Obeng-Dapaah explained that the new project would provide the mechanism and methodology for developing efficient and cost effective registration system, adding that, it would help fill the gaps in the register and ensure security of title within particular areas.

Ms Obeng-Dapaah announced that the Ministry had fixed a flat rate of 50 Ghana cedis per property for the entire registration process, from the presentation of application to the issuance of titles. She indicated that the second pilot location was at Osu, where the satellite office would commence operation by February 18 this year while plans were also far advanced to start a similar exercise in Kumasi. To indicate that the office was ready to do business, seven property owners were presented with the land title certificate as the first people to benefit from the project. Mrs Rebecca Sattie, Chief Registrar, Land Title Registry, asked the first seven beneficiaries to "spread the word" about the truth of the one-stop-shop for acquiring title certificates for others to patronize the services. Nii Kpobi Tetteh Tsuru III, La Mantse said the chiefs welcomed the major reforms in the land sector and pledged to support the Project. He appealed to government to assist the traditional authorities to demarcate, survey and register their boundaries, "this way we can reduce the numerous land litigations in the country and create the necessary peaceful environment for investment and development".