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Yunyoo-Naa, Yanyie Tooke II (with scissors) being assisted by Ms Barbara Asamoah (right),  to cut the tape to inaugurate the unit.

Reduce land title registration fee — A.B.A. Fuseini

The high fees charged for land title registration in the country is denying a section of the population, especially the rural poor, the right to own lands.

Currently, one needs not less GH¢400 to go through the documentation and registration processes of a land size of 0.056 acre outside the Tamale metropolis at the Lands Commission office in Tamale.

The issue of high fees for the registration of land came up at the inauguration of the Client Service Access Unit (CSAU) of the Lands Commission office in Tamale last Thursday.

Speaking at the ceremony, the Deputy Northern Regional Minister, Alhaji A.B.A Fuseini, stressed the need for an amendment of the services fees charged for land title registration to enable the rural poor to also own lands.

He noted that the exorbitant fees charged by the land sector agencies denied people in rural communities the right to own lands.

Land disputes

Alhaji Fuseini, who is also the Member of Parliament (MP) for Sagnarigu, expressed concern about the alleged boundary expansion exercises being carried out by some traditional rulers in the region, as a result of the high demand for land.

That move, he said, had been a source of conflict in the region and appealed to the Regional House of Chiefs to intervene to address the issue.

Public expectations

Inaugurating the unit, the Deputy Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Ms Barbara Serwaa Asamoah, called on staff to work hard to restore public confidence in the Commission.

She said it was the expectation of the government, investors and the general public that the unit would reduce the administrative bottlenecks and public frustrations and help improve the image of the commission as an agency that delivers reliable and timely services.

" The public expects from the Lands Commission improved service delivery, more customer-friendly service and shorter turn around time in service delivery", she emphasised.

Ms Asamoah said the opening of the unit also marked a significant milestone in the land administration reforms being undertaken by the government.

The Executive Secretary of the Lands Commission, Dr Winifred K. Anim-Odame, urged the staff of the commission to uphold the virtues of hard work, diligence, honesty, integrity and excellence in service delivery .

That, he said, was paramount to stimulate efforts to redeem the public image of the commission and also to ensure the success of the one-stop-shop concept of land services delivery through the CSAU.

The Sagnari-Naa, Alhaji Yakubu Abdulai, who chaired the ceremony, called on the government to return all public lands, which were not in use, to the rightful owners.

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