Land title registration to reduce to 30 days
The government says it will collaborate with the Lands Commission and other stakeholders to reduce the duration of land title registration to 30 days within the shortest possible time. Currently, it takes between one and three years to get a land title registration.
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The government has, therefore, appealed to the management of the commission to re-orient its staff to accept that the 30-day duration period is feasible and work towards its achievement.
Addressing the management and staff of the Lands Commission in Accra yesterday, the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Mr John Peter Amewu, said the decision to reduce the duration was a New Patriotic Party (NPP) manifesto agenda to enhance land service management delivery to attract more investors.
Mr Amewu, who assumed office barely two weeks ago, visited the commission as part of his working tour of agencies under his ministry to familiarise himself with their operations and challenges and begin a discourse on how to improve their operations.
Current duration
The minister was of the opinion that the current duration for land title registration was too long and deterred both local and international investors.
“For an investor, time is money, and so for an investor to wait over six months to get a land title before doing business would mean he will find other options which may cost the country the revenue he would have contributed to the economy,” he said.
He said effective land management service delivery was very crucial to economic development, which made the commission a crucial partner to national development.
“We are, therefore, ready to give you all the necessary support to boost your operations, which are expected to result in improvement in land management services,” he said.
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Mr Amewu said the government would endeavour to gradually resolve the operational challenges of the commission and improve the conditions of service for staff.
He was quick to add that in return, the commission would have to help the government achieve its manifesto promises, such as a reduction in the duration for land title registration.
The minister acknowledged that there had been many challenges related to lands, such as the issue of land guards, government lands that could not be traced, land title registration duration and double sale of lands.
In his contribution, the Executive Secretary of the Lands Commission, Dr Wilfred Anim-Odame, assured the minister of the commission’s support to the government.
He briefed the minister on the challenges, achievements and future plans of the commission.
“We are ready to hit the ground running, with the government as our partner, in building a vibrant land sector in Ghana,” he said.
He said the commission was aware of the expectations of both the public and the government and was ready to deliver, with the support of the government and other stakeholders.
Minerals Commission
Mr Amewu continued to the Minerals Commission where a staff durbar was held to welcome him.
He informed the management and staff of the Minerals Commission that the government had priority for small-scale mining and was committed to improving the sector.
He said the small-scale mining sector contributed between 25 and 30 per cent of total Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
However, he said the problem with the sector was illegal mining, often referred to as galamsey, which was having a serious toll on the environment and water resources.
“We will deal with galamsey issues judiciously and manage the situation to make the mining sector more vibrant and attractive to attract more investors. The intervention will include the revival of AngloGold Ashanti,” he said.
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On the development of mining communities which were often left in deplorable conditions as a result of mining activities, he said the government had advanced processes towards the implementation of the Mineral Development Fund.
The fund was established to be used for development projects in mining communities.
For his part, the Chief Executive Officer of the Minerals Commission, Dr Toni Aubynn, pledged the commission’s maximum support to make the mining sector a more vibrant and lucrative one to attract more investors.