Central Regional house of chiefs moves to sanitise land transactions

The Central Regional House of Chiefs in a resolution to the Office of the Administrator of Stool Lands and the Lands Commission, has called for the involvement of paramount chiefs in land sales and transactions.

This, they said would go a long way to address issues of multiple sales and allocation of land and its related disputes, which were rampant in the region to foster greater development.

This came to light when officials of the Office of Administrator of Stool Lands and the Lands Commission Secretariat engaged the chiefs on the rational development of stool lands in Cape Coast.

The chiefs were largely educated and introduced to the land administration laws, constitutional provisions as well as other customary practices concerning stool lands administration.

They raised concerns about multiple sales and allocation of lands, land-related litigation, and as well inquired about the authority of chiefs and paramount chiefs in the scheme of land administration and royalties.

Obrempong Nyanful Krampah XI, President of the Regional House of Chiefs explained that their mandate was in accordance with sections 45 and 46 of the Chieftaincy Act 2008 (Act 759) regarding the alienation of stool properties.

“We are doing all this to clean the system and ensure that we do not allow land litigation to hinder our progress and development as a region”, he stated.

He added that with the new measures, issues of land guards, land disputes, and litigation would be a thing of the past in the region.

Obrempong Nyanful Krampah said involving paramount chiefs in the acquisition of land anywhere in the region would require that traditional councils assisted buyers to do the necessary documentation.

He explained that before one could register a land, the person had to secure a seal attestation from the traditional council, a practice he believed would greatly help in eliminating multiple sales and allocation of land.

He underscored the need to do away with land litigation to boost investor confidence in the region.

Mrs Christie Bobbobee, Administrator of Stool Lands, said the constitution enjoined the office together with the Lands Commission to occasionally engage with landowners and traditional authorities in the rational development of stool lands.

She asked the public, especially sub and divisional chiefs to collaborate with their paramount chiefs to manage lands in their jurisdictions to bring about the desired development.

Mrs Bobobee said her outfit would continue to engage chiefs on the rational development of stool lands and land administration as enshrined in the constitution for a better land administration in the country.

The Office of the administrator of stool lands is in the process of assisting chiefs to create a customary land secretariat in their paramountcies dedicated to land documentation and land-related issues.