The automation of land administration in the country would make land title service delivery more efficient and remove hurdles people encounter during land registration, Mr Abraham Otabil, Public Relations Officer of the Ministry told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in Accra.

He explained that as a result, the sector ministry and its allied agencies were working assiduously to ensure that the system became fully functional.

 “This year is going to be a busy one because all the three key major areas being mining, forestry and land have major initiatives that the ministry and its agencies are seeking to implement to transform these sectors to contribute to the government’s Ghana Beyond Aid Agenda,” he stated.

On the Ministry’s plan for the mining sector, Mr Otabil said stringent, effective, and efficient monitoring systems had been set as part of efforts to monitor both small and big scale mining in the country.

“We are going to make sure that mining companies or individual given a mining license adhere strictly to the mining rules and regulations of the country to protect and preserve nature.

“The ministry will not countenance workplace accidents in the sector. Players have been advised to ensure strict observance of occupational health and safety at work place,” he said.

 Regarding the forestry sector, he reiterated that government through agencies including; the Forestry Commission had rolled out tree planting initiatives to green the nation and help adapt to effects of climate change such as rising temperature.

The Ministry was also supervising projects aimed at providing alternative livelihood to rural folk to get them busy and generate sustainable income during the lean season.

To address the ritual indiscriminate bush burning especially in northern Ghana that depletes biodiversity and reduces soil fertility, Mr Otabil stated that as part of an elaborate plan, the ministry and its agencies will conduct a sensitisation campaign by establishing information centres where messages on the negative effect of the act would be broadcast.

The information centres, he added would be used as a distribution point for seedlings to farmers grow tress.