Gov't adopts initiatives to streamline land system

The Government has set in motion a number of initiatives aimed at restoring confidence in the country's land administration system. This has led to the formulation of a 15-year Land Administration Project (LAP) to address land ownership conflicts, legal contradictions and institutional and human failures in land administration. These were contained in an address read on behalf of the Minister of Lands and Forestry, Professor Kassim Kasanga at the inauguration of the Volta Regional Lands Commission at Ho on Thursday.

He said this change process requires a lot of commitment and sacrifices and therefore, charged the regional lands commission to help reduce land disputes in the courts, promote the use of alternative means of resolving land disputes, tap the expertise of the staff of the commission and provide land advisory services to traditional land owners.

Prof. Kasanga called on traditional authorities to be transparent in exercising their authority over land matters, be accountable for revenue generated from land and respect customary rites and seek the services of professionals in land administration.

Prof. Kasanga gave the assurance that, "once these are done, government on its part would have no legal and moral justification for interfering in how traditional authorities manage their lands".

He hoped that members of the commission would not abuse their membership to "enhance their private land transactions and act as lobbyist for specific interest groups or individuals". In his remarks, Mr. Kwasi Owusu-Yeboa, the Volta Regional Minister urged the commission to focus attention on crucial areas and adopt proactive measures to stem land disputes and promote development in the region. He said members should aim at bringing credit to the institutions they represent and put the interest of the region foremost.

Mr Justice Paul Gyaesaeyor, Supervising High Court Judge in the Volta Region who swore in the members urged them not to divulge the outcome of their deliberations to the public.

Members must also not dissociate themselves from the decisions of the commission even if they disagree with majority decision, he added Mr Justice Gyaesaeyor appealed to the commission to help work out a simple efficient and cheap land acquisition and documentation processes. He said the cumbersome and costly land documentation processes are largely responsible for unplanned development in the country.

The 18-member commission under the chairmanship of Mr Zewu Glover, a legal practitioner is made up of representatives from the Ghana Bar Association, the Regional House of Chiefs, Ghana Institution of Surveyors, Town and Country Planning Department, Lands Commission, Ghana National Association of Farmers and Fishermen and the 12 district assemblies in the region. The commission, which is the third for the region since 1995 will be in office for four years.