Awutu Bawjiase (C/R), Sept. 18, GNA - The Millennium Development Authority (MiDA) has launched the first of the Pilot Programmes for the Area-wide Registration of Rural Land Rights in the Awutu-Senya District at Awutu Bawjiase.

The MiDA also inaugurated a Continuously Operating Receiver System (CORS) station to collect Global Positioning Systems (GPS) Data for the survey for farm parcels project.

The Chief Executive Officer of the Authority, Mr Martin Eson-Benjamin in his inaugural address said the equipment was with a Robotic Total Station for surveying the boundaries of the parcels themselves, in a fast, accurate and efficient way.

Mr Eson-Benjamin said the land Tenure facilitation Activity under the Ghana Program's Agricultural Project would utilize a total of 10.6 US million dollars in the Program's three intervention zones. "For this reason, farming communities in the Awutu-Senya, Savelugu-Nanton and Kwahu North districts would benefit from the Pilot Project, adding that these districts would be declared Pilot Registration District before Title Registration begins". He said major challenges in Land Administration in Ghana have included the lack of formal documentation of customary Holding, Uncertainly about the boundaries of private and other land holdings. Others were conflicting Records of Land rights and long delays in negotiating and registering acquisition and transfer of Land rights which have hampered growth in the nation's Agriculture sector, he said.

The Chief Executive Officer said it was important to stress that sound agricultural development in Ghana would be greatly enhanced by making access to land more efficiently and secure, while preserving secured tenure for local communities. Mr Eson-Benjamin said the MiDA was investing in a Land Title Registry at Winneba to serve the needs of all people who would be inclined to survey and register their lands and also prevent people from traveling to Accra or Cape Coast to register their lands.

The District Chief Executive for Awutu-Senya, Mr Solomon Abbam Quaye in an address read for him expressed regret that most communities in the area had sold greater proportions of their farm lands to commercial pineapple farmers. He said this was good for the local economy, but not good enough for the youth of tomorrow, adding that children in the area would grow up without having any land to farm on. Nai Ncharkey Okine VII, Adontehene of Awutu Traditional Area who chaired the function, hoped that the project would help reduce land litigation and conflicts in the area. He gave the assurance that chiefs in the Awutu Traditional Area will co-operate with officials of the project to ensure its success. Mr Martin Eson-Benjamin assisted by Nai Ncharkey Okine and Naade Dodi Akaabi, Queenmother of the Traditional Council, cut the tape to inaugurate the project.