Judicial Service allocated $2.56m to improve land adjudication
The Judicial Service has been allocated US$2.56 million to improve adjudication of land cases in the country under the second phase of the Ghana Land Administration Project (LAP II).
Advertisement
The amount is to, among others, expand the innovative specialised land courts to all the 10 regions in the country, build the capacity of judges and staff and provide the needed equipment for the land courts.
The deputy Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Ms Barbara Serwa Asamoah, made this known this at an orientation workshop for members of the Brong Ahafo Regional House of Chiefs and Queens on the LAP II in Sunyani.
The second phase of the LAP aims at consolidating the gains made under phase one by enabling the land sector agencies such as the Lands Commission, the Office of the Administrator of Stool Lands and Town & Country Planning Department to be more responsive to clients, cutting down the cost and time of doing business.
It is also to provide an enabling environment to reflect the objective of an efficient and transparent service delivery system.
The workshop was organised by the Second Ghana Land Administration Project Coordinating Unit.
Addressing the chiefs and queens, Ms Asamoah said future generations might not have lands to embark on farming activities or any meaningful development in the future if traditional leaders continued to sell lands indiscriminately.
She, therefore, made a passionate appeal to the traditional rulers to halt the outright sale of large tracts of lands to investors, especially foreigners without entering into any form of equity.
Ms Asamoah said she had been informed that in the Brong Ahafo Region, some investors were acquiring very large tracts of land with the support of some chiefs and public servants.
She, therefore, urged the traditional leaders not to allow monetary gains to be their sole motivation to sell such large tracts of lands but consider the unborn generations and rather enter into amicable agreement that would be beneficial to the present and future generations.
“In my opinion, giving large tracts of lands out without entering into any form of equity may be a serious disincentive to the Ghanaian economy. Landlessness is the greatest form of poverty, it is said. And we do not want to see our indigenes lose land this way " she said.
The deputy Brong Ahafo Regional Minister, Mr Justice Samuel Adjei, on his part, said traditional leaders played a key role in land administration and, therefore, urged them to find ways of administering land devoid of disputes.
He also urged them to offer the government the needed advice to ensure the success of the project.
Pemampem Yaw Kagbrese V, President of the Brong Ahafo Regional House of Chiefs and Yejihene, who chaired the function, pledged that the chief and queens would lend their support to ensure the success of the second phase of the project.
By Samuel Duodu/Daily Graphic/Ghana
