Don’t give out lands to illegal miners -CR minister tells chiefs
The Central Regional Minister, Mr Samuel Sarpong, has urged chiefs to desist from giving out lands to illegal miners.
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He noted that the blatant exploitation of our natural resources by illegal miners required that chiefs desisted from giving out land to questionable characters, indicating that many illegal miners had claimed that the lands they were exploiting were given out to “galamseyers”.
Mr Sarpong said attempts to clamp down on these illegal miners had revealed that many of them blatantly destroyed the land because they claimed those lands were handed over to them by chiefs who were acknowledged as the rightful custodians of the land.
That, he indicated, had affected efforts at clamping down on these illegal miners.
Mr Sarpong was speaking at the inauguration of a Customary Lands Secretariat (CLS) at Eguafo in the Central Region.
The secretariat would assist traditional authorities and other land owners to administer and manage lands in the area.
One objective of CLS is to reduce poverty and promote social stability by developing a sustainable, decentralised land administration system that is fair, efficient and cost-effective to enhance security of the tenure.
Mr Sarpong said about 80 per cent of all lands were owned by chiefs and it was necessary that the chiefs who held those lands in trust for posterity ensured that those whom they gave the land to, used it responsibly.
He noted with concern how the Offin River in the Central Region and other rivers which were very wholesome had become polluted by the activities of those illegal miners.
He said the government was making commendable efforts to clamp down on the activities of those illegal miners,and it behoved the chiefs as custodians of the land to ensure that the lands were released to responsible people.
The Omanhen of the Eguafo Traditional Area, Nana Kwamina Ansah IV, stated that the chiefs would be more careful with the administration of lands following the establishment of the CLS in several communities.
He noted that the lack of documentation had led to many land disputes and conflicts.
He said the CLS was crucial, especially for the area, considering the development that the exploration of oil in nearby Western Region had brought about.
The acting Central Region Regional Stool Lands Officer, Mr Prince Gyapong, explained that the CLS would facilitate greater awareness of land rights and access among adjoining communities and the vulnerable.
He stated that the project would provide accurate land records at the local level that could be accessed by the local community and investors, adding that CLS would also clarify ownership and land use rights.