Traditional authorities to be educated on land ownership

The Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources is to educate and sensitise traditional authorities in the country on land ownership, pertaining to the 1992 Constitution.

Mr Mike Hammah, the sector Minister, said that due to the oil find in the Western Region, investors were being attracted to that area, resulting in the sale of stool lands to foreigners.

The Minster was reacting to the current land grabbing and sale of stool lands to investors in the region, through the Ghana News Agency at the weekend in Accra.

Mr Hammah explained that investors were taking undue advantage of the ignorance of some chiefs to acquire vast land in the region.

He noted that under the 1992 Constitution, there were two types of land ownership; the stool lands system whereby the traditional authorities and family heads were responsible, and Government lands.

“Most of them are ignorant of the constitutional provisions regarding land and land title issues in the country,” he added.

Mr Hammah said as part of measures to improve on the land administration system in the region, the Ministry has embarked on mapping and surveying of lands to create boundaries.

He said the Ministry was collaborating with two other Ministries to resource the office of Stool Lands and the Town and Country Planning Department, to address issues of land planning.

Mr Hammah announced that a Land Bill was in the offing to help address challenges in the land administration, and said a secretariat would be established to regulate the use of land in the country, to avoid mismanagement and other critical land issues, particularly in connection with the oil find.

Source: GNA