New land system for Ghana out soon

A new system to streamline the use and management of land in a sustainable manner in the country is to be introduced by the government this year.

The system is aimed at addressing the chaos that has characterised land use in the country and help establish a harmonious land management regime, taking into consideration the country’s socio-economic priorities.

The Deputy Director of Town and Country Planning Department of the Ministry of Environment Science Technology, Mr Lawrence Dakurah, said this yesterday at the Eighth International Building Construction, Property and Water Exhibition, currently going on in Accra.

He expressed worry that the current land use planning system was beset with a myriad of problems, describing the legal framework for land use planning (CAP 84 of 1945) as obsolete and ineffective.

Mr Dakurah said planning authorities were under-resourced, with only 69 out of the 140 districts of the country having professional land use and spatial planners, who are still using rudimentary equipment like rulers and set squares and applying outdated planning technologies.

He said the results of these lapses were manifested in the present confusion and lack of clarity about land use matters and the chaotic situation in physical development.

Mr Dakurah said the proposed new planning system would bring together socio-economic planning with spatial planning, which recognises national and regional development objectives as the framework for ministries, departments and agencies (MMDAs) in the discharge of their mandate as the planning authorities.

Source: Daily Graphic