Strengthen collaboration for effective land administration: Jinapor urges Lands Commission
The Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Samuel Abu Jinapor, has called for closer collaboration between the Lands Commission and other stakeholders to help remove the bottlenecks to effective land administration in the country.
He said a seamless land administration regime was key to the growth of all sectors of the economy and for achieving sustainable development.
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Management retreat
The minister made the call at the opening session of a one-week management retreat organised by the Lands Commission in Accra on Monday, March 13, 2022.
Participants at the retreat include national land officers, unit heads and regional directors of the commission.
The retreat is being held on the theme: "Achieving institutional excellence in land service delivery through modern technology, human resource development and private sector participation."
The participants will discuss topics such as the role of leadership in change management, customer relations, procurement at the Lands Commission, stress management, emotional intelligence and audit processes in the Lands Commission.
Government support
"The Lands Commission has improved on its services in recent times; but let us be candid enough to acknowledge that we have not yet constructed the commission we need to achieve economic growth for our people," the minister stressed.
Mr Jinapor observed that challenges such as double sale of land, longer period of searching for land titles, encroachment on state lands and the activities of land guards still remained to be addressed through concerted efforts by officials of the Lands Commission, in collaboration with traditional authorities.
He said the government was aware of the onerous responsibility placed on the Lands commission under the 1992 Constitution and would help provide the required support for it to realise that mandate.
In line with that support, he said, the government was firming up a partnership with a private entity to help bring reforms to the operations of the Lands Commission.
He said the government wanted to complete the arrangements as soon as possible, while it was also cautious about the interest of the country and would ensure value for money before any agreement was signed.
The minister said while the government was working around the clock to provide the needed equipment for the Lands Commission to work, it was equally important for the commission to put its act together to deliver on its mandate.
"Let us work as a team to achieve effective land administration. As the sector minister, I will offer good leadership and I want the Lands Commission to reciprocate that gesture so that we can help ensure effective land services," Mr Jinapor stated.
He urged the management of the commission to create a friendly working environment to enhance productivity.
Retooling Land Commission
For his part, the National Chairman of the Lands Commission, Mr Alex Quaynor, underscored the need for a comprehensive reform of the commission to make the state institution capable of delivering cutting-edge services for national development.
He called on the government to prioritise retooling the commission to promote the digitisation agenda.
He said the retreat would be a viable platform to explore ways to consolidate the gains made by the commission and facilitate the digitalisation drive.