Five districts in Western Region to benefit from $5.86m land management project

Some communities the Western Region are to benefit from the land use component of the second phase of the Land Use, Planning and Management Project (LUPMP-2),  Mr. Mohammed Alhassan, a Senior Town Planning Officer, said on Wednesday.

He mentioned the beneficiary areas as the Bibiani-Ahwiaso-Bekwai District, Mpohor District, Prestea-Huni-Valley District, Tarkwa Nsuaem Municipality and the Sefwi Wiawso Municipality.

The Senior Town Planning Officer was speaking at a one-day sensitization workshop on the LUPMP-2, organized by the Town and Country Planning Department for stakeholders at Fijai, near Takoradi.

Mr. Alhassan said about 20 districts in the Western, Ashanti, Northern and Greater Accra Regions would benefit from the five-year project, being financed by the World Bank at a cost of $5.86 million.

He said the main objective of LUPMP was to develop a coherent, streamlined and sustainable land use planning and management system, which was decentralized and based on consultative and participatory approach, to effectively manage human settlements in Ghana.

Mr Alhassan said LUPMP-2 that sought to consolidate the achievements of the first phase of the project would also integrate spatial and land use planning into all levels of plans by Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) and Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).

He said project activities included human settlements policy study, institutional review, development of Land Use Planning and Management Information System, capacity building and awareness creation.

Mr. David Yaro, Chief Director, Western Regional Coordinating Council (RCC), said the workshop was timely in because the numerous land issues confronting the region posed a security threat and could undermine development efforts.

He said the scramble for land without recourse to the rightful ownership has come about as a result of the oil find.

Mr. Yaro said the RCC was saddled with a myriad of complaints about land administration generally due to the activities of some officials of land agencies.

He said some settler farmers had also complained that some chiefs were double ceding land to settler farmers and to other parties, which was a serious concern that needed the efforts of stakeholders to bring the situation under control.

Mr. Yaro said the RCC already had a spatial development framework and would work in close collaboration with the relevant stakeholders to resolve these issues.

He called on MMDAs to see the framework as a guide in the preparation of their spatial plans for development.

Mr. Yaro said: “I believe that our commitment to adhere to the guidelines set out in the framework is not only a surety for proper land use but also for preservation of land for future generations”.

Source: GNA