Ghana on Thursday outlined long-term land administration reforms to lay the foundation for a sustainable decentralised system that is fair, efficient and cost effective to ensure land tenure security.
Mr. Jimmy Aidoo, Deputy Director of Ghana Land Administration Project (LAP), said objective of the reforms was to provide clear, coherent and
consistent set of land administration policies, laws and ensure recognition of the rights of all categories of land holders.
Speaking on the topic: "LAP, The Panacea to Land Administration Issues in Ghana", at a forum organised by Ghanaian German Economic Association
(GGEA) in Accra, Mr. Aidoo said the project aimed to institute efficient land information system that supported good land records management for
transparent transactions.
He said the project had four broad components which includes; harmonising policy and regulatory framework, institutional reform and
development, improving land titling, registration, valuation, land use planning and land information systems.
The finale component focuses on project management, human resource development, monitoring and evaluation while the institutional and legal reforms seek to merge four land sector agencies under a body under the Lands Commission Act 2008.
Dr. Odame Larbi, Acting Executive Secretary of Lands Commission who spoke on: "Modalities for the Sale and Transfer of Landed Properties in
Ghana", advised land owners to register their title deeds for security.
He said the Commission was set up to manage public lands efficiently; advice and facilitated good land delivery system in the country through
proper documentation and good records keeping in order to contribute towards the nation's socio-economic development.
Dr. Larbi said government's policy in recent times on land administration was geared towards improving the efficiency, effectiveness, transparency, and responsiveness of the civil and public service to meet the needs, wishes and desire of their clients, customers and stakeholders.
He said in pursuit of the policy, the Commission sought further to create mechanism for fair and prompt consideration of complaints, through a review of the procedures and processes for service delivery.
Dr. Larbi said the processing stages for land registration had also been reduced to facilitate prompt service delivery.
He advised land owners to follow due process in registering their lands and avoid the use of middle-men but "seek legal and expert advice before you make any payment on land".
Mr. Stephen Antwi, Vice President of GGEA told Ghana News Agency that GGEA was an alliance of Ghanaian and German companies, entrepreneurs,
institutions, organisations and individuals with business and commercial interests in both countries.
He said the association sought to provide its members various services such as delivering up-to-date information on economic, commercial and other bilateral issues, linking up with business partners, authorities and institutions and creating an active forum for a public-private dialogue.
Mr. Antwi said GGEA represented the entire spectrum of enterprises and institutions engaged in Ghanaian-German relations, ranging from small and medium sized companies to the large German corporations and Ghanaian-German joint-ventures, including German and Ghanaian public institutions.