Ghanaian journalists urged to specialise on land issues
Mrs Christina Esi Bobobee, Administrator of Stool Lands, has called on Journalists to specialise on issues concerning natural resources, land management and administration.
She said as media practitioners, such specialisation was necessary and would assist in educating the citizenry to understand land issues much better.
“Some journalists seem to sympathise with people involved in various aspects of land issues in their reportage although they do not understand the basis of the issues to well inform the public to make informed decisions”.
Mrs Bobobee made the call at a Media Forum for Senior Journalists in Accra.
It was to highlight operations of the Office of the Administrator of Stool Lands (OASL) and educate journalists on land issues.
The OASL was established under the 1992 Constitution and mandated to collect and disburse stool land revenue and to consult with stools and traditional authorities on matters relating to the administration and development of stool lands.
She explained that the forum was part of efforts to “empower majority of Ghanaians and stakeholders through the media to facilitate rational, productive and sustainable development and management of stool lands for the benefit of present and future generations”.
Mrs Bobobee said disbursement of revenue to the metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies were being published in the mass media because they were public revenue for development in areas within the jurisdiction of the stools.
With regard to revenue to the traditional authorities, she explained that they were private income to them and the authorities and heads of families were at liberty to account to their members.
On the operations of OASL, Mrs Bobobee said revenue was accrued from ground rents, farm rents, compensation sums, timber and mineral royalties.
She said disbursement was based on a formula prescribed by the constitution and that 10 per cent of the total revenue collected was retained to defray administrative cost, the remaining was converted to 100 per cent and disbursed as 25 per cent to the stool or skin, 20 per cent to the traditional authority and 55 per cent to the assemblies.
Mrs Bobobee said for the past five years, 2005-2009, OASL had disbursed about GH¢74,942,690,418.
Mr Affail Monney, Vice President of Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), said Africans treasured and attached much importance to land because of its socio-economic value.
However, he noted that land related issues were complex, hyper-sensitive and major causes of litigation, conflicts and tension in communities and called for efforts to streamline land administration in the country.
Source: GNA