The Customary Land Secretariat (CLS), a concept which was established by the local land owning communities with support from the Government of Ghana and financial support from the International Development Association (IDA), has organised a one-day sensitization seminar on how to improve land management and administration in the country for the chiefs, queens, elders and opinion leaders of Eguafo in the Komenda-Edina-Eguafo-Abrem (KEEA) Municipality in the Central Region.
The programme was to educate the participants on the need to have proper land documentation to avoid land litigation and conflicts in the area. It is being implemented under the second phase of Land Administration Project (LAP-2) which seeks to achieve the objectives of the National Land Policy which was launched in 1999.
During the first phase (LAP-1), 37 customary land secretariats were established on pilot basis nationwide to assist traditional authorities and other land owners in the administration of land at the local level. This according to the project office was to stimulate economic growth by maintaining up-to-date records of land transactions.
LAP-2 is intended to deal specifically with issues of boundaries of stool or skin lands and the use of unapproved old or inaccurate maps which creates land disputes.
The goal of LAP-2 is to consolidate and strengthen rural and urban land administration and management system for efficient and transparent land service delivery.
Addressing the participants, the Paramount Chief of the Eguafo Traditional Area, Nana Kwamena Ansah IV, who chaired the seminar, advised land owners in his locality to take proactive measures in protecting their lands for unborn generations.
Nana Kwamena Ansah, expressed worry about the poor documentation of lands in the area and the country at large, saying, people do not even know the exact size and boundaries of their lands.
He admonished elders and people of Eguafo traditional area to welcome the idea of LAP-2 and to liaise with officers of the project to employ effective measures and documentation to administer land under their jurisdiction.
The Senior Stool Lands Officer in Cape Coast, Mr. Prince Gyapong, stressed on the essence of CLS and said CLS was not to take away lands from its rightful owners, but rather to give them power over their lands.
He pointed out that CLS is to promote peaceful development of local communities, minimize land related disputes and conflicts, clarify ownership and land use rights, and provide accurate land records.
Mr. Gyapong added that the CLS is to provide local level centre for land administration and promote peaceful and sustainable land development.
He said the project was also to increase land revenue for the land owners, promote greater accountability in the use of land revenue and resources and serve as a link between the land owning community and other stakeholders.
A representative from the Lands Commission, Mr. Ofosu Gyan said land has several economic benefits and therefore land owners must be cautious when dealing with land related issues.
Mr. Gyan urged all land owners to register their lands in order to avoid land disputes which sometimes generate conflicts between families, towns and communities in the country.
Story: Nana Kwame Gyesi
