Minister calls on Lands Commission to double up efforts to free-up space for housing scheme  

Mr Samuel Abu Jinapor, the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, has charged the Lands Commission to speed up efforts to free-up space for the commencement of Government’s Affordable Housing Scheme and other projects on the Amrahia Dairy Farms in Accra.

The Minister said affordable housing was a project that was dear to the President and had given express instructions to develop affordable housing schemes for public servants and officials.

Mr Jinapor said this when he led a team from the Ministry and the Lands Commission to inspect progress of work on the return of lands to pre-aquisition owners of the Amrahia Dairy Farms in the La Nkwantanan Municipality of the Greater Accra Region.

Addressing the media during the visit, Mr Jinapor said the Amrahia farms, which was about 1,381 acres, formed part of the state lands government intended to use for the affordable housing and other developmental projects.

“From my understanding, we have some 1,381 acres of land here and there is a proposal for us to release part of this land to the Amrahia families, and part of it is going to be freed-up for the affordable housing,” he said.

He said the total land to be handed over to the families and chiefs constituted 40 per cent of the 1,381 as a form of compensation while the remaining 60 per cent would go into agricultural prospects and the national housing project.

Mr Jinapor, therefore, asked the Lands Commission to speed up work to ensure closure of the proposal.

He urged the Chief of Amrahia and other allied villages to work together to prevent any form of land litigations or misunderstanding, which could jeopardise the efforts made so far.

“The moment there is a split of front between these families and chiefs, it becomes a problem” the Minister, said and called for unity to fast-track the process.

The Technical Director for Lands, Mr Maxwell Nsarfoa, gave the assurance that by the end of the year all the technical discussions on demarcation would be brought to a closure.

Also in the Minister’s entourage was Mr James Ebenezer Dadson, the Technical Director and Acting Executive Secretary of the Lands Commission, among other key officials.

Source: GNA