A 22-member of the Upper East Regional Lands Commission has been inaugurated with a call on members to as a matter of urgency help address issues of land boundary disputes.
Just like any other region, the Upper East Region which is made up of 15 assemblies with a population of about 1. 3 million inhabitants are mostly peasants farmers, have had its share of land disputes which led to the loss of lives.
But inaugurating the commission in Bolgatanga, a Deputy Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, George Mireku Duker charged the members of the commission to as well work to address issues such as multiple sales of land in the Upper East Region.
“The land sector like any other sector of our national life is not devoid of challenges. These include land boundary disputes, multiple sales of land, property developments that are not in conformity with approved planning and development schemes, non-payment of compensation, encroachment of public lands, and lands-related chieftaincy disputes. The Upper East Region has its share of these challenges. I believe that this commission will do all its power to address the challenges.”
The Deputy Minister mentioned that the Upper East Region which has a vast land size of about 8,842sqkm “is seen as an opportunity for large scale investment in land for agriculture and allied uses for the benefit of the citizenry”.
He charged the commission to bring onboard their expertise to help the government achieve its mandate on the land sector. He has therefore assured the commission of the ministry’s support to enable it to deliver its mandate.
Upper East Regional Minister, Stephen Yakubu entreated the commission to take conscious efforts at educating landowners and traditional rulers on their expected roles in land management to avert possible land disputes.
Mr. Yakubu expressed regret that some landowners in the region continuously demand multiply compensation payments from the state even though the state paid for the lands years ago.
“Indeed, the desire to reap huge gains from land is robbing the state of required lands for the public interest investment. Landowners simply shy away from releasing lands for public business such as affordable housing, health, and educational infrastructure. We have to work at changing attitudes and mindsets to move our region and country to the next level”, the Minister stated.
Chairman of the newly constituted Upper East Regional Lands Commission, Jonathan Angme thanked the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources for the confidence reposed in them to serve on the commission for a 4-year term. He pledged on behalf of the members to contribute their quota to protect land administration in the region.
The 22-member commission was sworn into office by a Bolgatanga High Court Judge, Justice Charles Adjei Wilson. The members of the commission are made up of representatives of all the 15 municipal and district assemblies, some intuitions and departments, the Regional House of Chiefs, and the judiciary.
Source: A1Radioonline.com|101.1Mhz|Joshua Asaah
