Minister vows to reclaim encroached state lands

Kwaku Asomah-Cheremeh, the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, has reaffirmed government's resolve to reclaiming all state acquired lands that have been encroached by individuals and groups.

He cited lands acquired by the State for use by the Military, educational institutions, hospitals, industrial sites and road preservations, which were encroached with structures built on them with impunity.

He said government, through statutory bodies like the Lands Commission and security agencies, in collaboration with the Anyok Holdings Limited, a private development company, had begun evicting all illegal occupants and demolishing those structures on the said lands and would subsequently prosecute the offenders.

He said government would make sure all encroached state lands were reclaimed, protected and utilised in a manner that would guarantee their preservation for the future generation.

Additionally, a Land Bill seeking to harmonise all legislations on lands is undergoing parliamentary processes prior to its passage into law to safeguard all lands in the country.

Mr Asomah-Cheremeh made this known at a news conference in Accra to explain measures government had instituted to protect and manage state lands.

The Minister gave the assurance that the demolition and reclamation exercise would be sustained in spite of likely political and sentimental pressures that would come from different quarters.

He noted that those unauthorised activities had hindered opportunities for local and foreign investors and resulted in a major threat to life and property as well as to government's flagship projects such as the One-District, One-Factory and provision of shelter for the citizenry.

Mr Asomah-Cheremeh said Government recognised the role of traditional authorities and would continue series of engagements with them to ensure that all grievances regarding compensation and related matters were addressed properly and adequately.

Government would protect the interest of the citizenry at all times but would not countenance any act to compromise the security of the state, Mr Asomah-Cheremeh assured.