WESTERN NZEMA CUSTOMARY LAND SECRETARIAT INAUGURATED (PAGE 20)

THE Deputy Minister of Lands, Forestry and Mines, Mr Andrew Adjei-Yeboah, has stated that the discovery of oil in some districts in the Western Region has added a new dimension to the challenges in land administration at the local level.
He said already there was a growing demand for land in those areas following the oil find.
Mr Adjei-Yeboah said this at the inauguration of the Western Nzema Customary Land Secretariat (CLS) at Beyin in the Jomoro District in the Western Region.
He said the number of such land secretariats that had been established throughout the country since the beginning of the Land Administration Project (LAP) five years ago was 17, adding that the number was expected to rise to 30 by the end of August, this year.
“Your ability to maximise socio-economic benefits from this growing demand and protect the rights and interests of the subjects of the traditional area would largely depend on the successful operation of this CLS,” he emphasised.
Mr Adjei-Yeboah said the principle underlying the establishment of the Customary Land Secretariat was to facilitate proper documentation of land rights and transactions, as well as the maintenance of up-to-date and accurate records, which could be accessed by all interested persons at the local level.
He explained that the establishment and strengthening of Customary Land Secretariats formed part of the bigger LAP, which aimed at re-engineering land administration to create a fair, efficient and transparent system in the country.
He said the selection of pilot areas had been done very carefully to reflect the different customary practices in the management of land in the country.
“As the second CLS in the Western Region and the first in the Nzema area, you are expected to set the standard for other areas in this part of the country to replicate,” he stated.
The deputy minister said it was the expectation that the creation of the secretariat would ensure that land allocation procedures would become very simple and clear, land ownership rights for citizens, as well as other users, would be clarified and recorded while records would be kept of land transactions at the local level.
He said conflict resolution mechanism would be established to ensure a quick resolution of disputes on land between divisions, families, individuals and tenants without resorting to the courts.
Mr Adjei-Yeboah stated that boundaries between different divisions of the traditional area would be clearly demarcated and recorded.
He said it was envisaged that the achievement of those expectations would ensure peaceful environment for social and economic development, as well as progress of the Western Region and the country as a whole.
The deputy minister told the people that the intervention was not aimed at changing the customary practices or their land ownership rights.
“What we are trying to do is to strengthen your capacity to manage your own lands and improve record keeping as a way of acknowledging the very positive principles of our customs and norms, which exist but have not been formally recorded,” he added.
The Deputy Western Regional Minister, Mr Kwasi Blay, said land administration in the past was fraught with several problems, which included poor record keeping, indeterminate boundaries, multiple sale of land, protracted land litigation, and armed conflicts that often resulted in loss of lives and property.
Those problems, he said, diverted enormous resources away from development projects and slowed down national development.
Mr Blay said the government was taking pragmatic steps to put the country on track for accelerated development and that the land sector had been identified as one of the key areas for attention hence the introduction of the LAP.
“As Nananom control and administer a greater proportion of lands in the country, it is expected that they and other landowners would partner the government in our efforts to promote efficient land administration which guarantees security of tenure and easy access to land,” he said.
The Paramount Chief of the Western Nzema Traditional Area, Awulae Annor Adjaye III, said all land disputes in the area would be resolved through the alternative dispute resolution mechanism and not through the courts.