The Upper East regional Lands Officer at the Lands Commission, Jonathan Kwabla, admonishes the general public, especially landowners, to duly register their land using the rightful procedure.
Speaking to the media at a Multi-Stakeholders Forum in Bolgatanga organised by the Ghana Integrity Initiative, the national chapter of Transparency International, and in collaboration with the Lands Commission, Mr. Kwabla said it is important for all landowners who want to register their lands to go through the lawful procedures and avoid illegal methods of land registration.
According to Mr. Kwabla, the commission is very concerned about people relying on middlemen to aid them in their land registration, which always results in problems.
“We are sensitising landowners who may want to register their lands that they should go through the right processes. They should engage the right people who can actually guide them through such procedures. Our challenge arises when agencies come between the Land Commission and the public, intercepting documents and demanding large sums of money in the name of registering their documents. In the end, the documents are not able to be registered,” he said.
The primary aim of the Multi-Stakeholders forum was to provide a platform for constructive dialogue concerning current land-related issues, specifically in relation to the Land Act 2020 (Act 1036), the guidelines governing large-scale land-based investments, and Ghana Integrity Initiative corruption reporting and grievance redress mechanisms. The forum brought together various youth groups.
According to Michael Okai, the Project Coordinator at the Ghana Integrity Initiative, “Every time you talk about land, it’s considered for adults only, and the youth are left at the back. But this provides an opportunity for the youth to come together in collaboration with the Lands Commission, to have a discussion around the Land Act. Also, when you talk about land corruption, what role can the youth play in eradicating land corruption in Ghana.”
Source: A1Radioonline.Com|101.1MHZ|David Azure|Bolgatanga
