Mr Samuel Abdulai Jinapor, Minister for Lands and Natural Resources has said the government is set to digitise all records at the Lands Commission to reduce the turnaround time for registration of lands.

When successfully done, processing land documents for registration could take only a maximum of 30 days to complete.

Mr Jinapor said the government was engaging the private sector to provide the needed support to successfully launch the scheme. "We are engaging the private sector to provide the capital and technical expertise required to implement this scheme."

Mr Jinapor said this during the inauguration of the reconstituted Governing Board of the Northern Regional Lands Commission in Tamale.

The 23 Member Board, expected to serve a four-year tenure, was sworn into office by the Northern Regional Supervising High Court Judge, His Lordship Justice Richard Mac Kogyapwah.

Mr Jinapor said since most of the lands in the region were owned by skins and families, it was prudent that the reconstituted Board of the Lands Commission set up Customary Land Secretariat to ensure proper land administration in the region.

He said, "The Commission is enjoined by the Lands Act, 2020 (Act 1036) to collaborate with the Administrator of Stool Land to ensure the establishment of this Secretariat for each skin, clan, or family that owns the land."

Alhaji Sulemana Mahama, Executive Secretary to the Lands Commission urged members of the Board to serve as advocates against the incidence of land mismanagement at the local level to preserve lands for development projects in the region.

He noted that the issue of land mismanagement was a crime punishable per the new Lands Act, android charged members to ensure fairness and transparency in the administration of land.

Mr Dubik Yakubu Mahama, Chairman of the reconstituted Governing Board, expressed gratitude to the government for the confidence reposed in them and called for collaboration amongst stakeholders in the execution of their duties.