The Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, has urged the reconstituted Greater Accra Region Lands Commission to take bold steps to halt  land grabbing and the activities of landguards in the region. 

Mr Buah said in line with the reset agenda of the government, there would be no room for any public official, group or individuals who masterminded multiple sale of lands, grabbing of state lands as well as land guardism.

Instead, he said the reset agenda required that watertight systems were implemented to promote transparency, accountability and efficiency in the management of the country’s lands, particularly in the Greater Accra Region, which he said was the epicentre of all land issues.

"The Lands Commission remains a critical institution to the government's reset agenda because most of the projects require land. The roll out of the 24-hour Economy makes the Lands Commission an indispensable institution, which is why this new board must work to ensure efficient management of land in the Greater Accra Region," he said.

Board inauguration

Mr Buah stated this last Tuesday after a High Court Judge, Evelyn Asamoah, swore the 31-member Greater Accra Regional Lands Commission Board into office.

The Board is chaired by a former Deputy Greater Accra Regional Minister from 2013 to 2017, Isaac Nii Djanmah Vanderpuye, with other members drawn from the 29 metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies (MMDAs) and other stakeholder institutions. 

Addressing challenges

Mr Buah said it was worrying that about 80 per cent of challenges in the land sector, such as lawsuits, multiple sale of lands, boundary disputes and the phenomenon of land guards, were centred in the Greater Accra Region.

He said the government was concerned about that development and would give the Greater Accra Lands Commission the needed support to deal with the challenges head-on.

The minister urged the Commission to work closely with the security agencies to crack down on the activities of persons operating illegally in the land sector.

"I urge the new board of the Lands Commission to work with the relevant stakeholders to make life a little better for the people of Ghana," he stressed. 

Collaboration

The Greater Accra Regional Minister, Linda Akweley Ocloo, said the inauguration of the new Lands Commission Board for the region was timely, given that there was an urgent need to deal with the myriad of challenges associated with land management. 

She said the Regional Coordinating Council would provide the needed support to the Lands Commission to facilitate the resolution of land disputes and flushing out of miscreants illegally occupying state lands.

The minister said special attention should be given to the recovery of state lands that had been encroached upon in the region.

Nii Vanderpuye, speaking on behalf of the members, pledged to live up to the mandate entrusted to them by the President, John Dramani Mahama.

He gave an assurance that with the wealth of experience and expertise of members of the board, he was sure that the challenges confronting effective land administration in the region would be dealt with to promote development.