GHANA TO ADOPT EFFICIENT LAND MANAGEMENT SYSTEM BY 2016

STORY BY: PIUS K. DOGBEY

Mr. Isaac Karikari, 

Ghana is to adopt a more efficient Land Management System for Natural and Environmental Management by implementing the key policy actions recommended in the Ghana Land Policy 1999, to address critical issues militating against effective and efficient Land Administration in the country, by 2016.

Ghana as a developing country relies primarily on Agriculture, Forestry and Mining for its economic sustenance.

Heavily dependent on land, these three key sources from about 70% of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), thus the need for the Ministry of Land and Natural Resources, to implement a long-term - 15-25 years reforms in the Land Sector.

For this reason, the National Project Coordinating Unit of the Land Administration Project (LAP) under the auspices of the Ministry, is implementing the second phase of the land administration project (LAP-2) aimed at consolidating the gains made under phase-1, by deepening the reforms and enabling the land sector agencies to be more responsive to clients.

The project is also expected, at the end of LAP-2, to aim at cutting down the cost and time of doing business, providing an enabling environment to reflect the objective of an efficient and transparent service delivery.

According to the Ministry of Land and Natural Resources, land and property are generally the main assets underpinning any buoyant economy thus, the reform of land administration, especially in a developing country like Ghana, where the greatest majority of the people derive their daily subsistence from the land, ought therefore to be considered as an over-arching priority.

As a result, activities being carried out under LAP-2 include consolidating and strengthening land administration and management for efficient and transparent service delivery, through reviews and enactment of appropriate land administration laws and regulations, land owners and relevant NGOs, and streamline business procedures within the land agencies.

The project is also intended to complete the drafting of the Land and Land Use Planning Bills and support the preparation of Legislative Instruments for the Land Act, the Land Use and Planning Act, the Lands Commission Act and the Office of the Administrator of Stool Lands Act.

LAP- 2 will also improve the Deeds and Titles Registration Systems in terms of security and reduction of turn-around time service delivery, continue to pilot Systematic Title Registration in selected areas and support the systematic demarcation and documentation of customary land rights within participating traditional authority areas.

The four major project components of LAP-2 entail strengthening the policy, legal and regulatory framework for land administration, decentralizing and improving business and service delivery process, improved maps and spatial data for land administration and finally, human resource development and project management,.

These components are to ensure the provision of a platform for continued work on the legal and regulatory framework governing land administration and use, improve transparency and reduce time and cost involved in delivery of services such as Deeds and Title registration, provide up-to-date maps and other spatial products and develop the infrastructure for collecting and sharing data and develop human resource capacity as well as provision of logistical support and equipments respectively.

The implementing agencies of this project are the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, National Project Coordinating, Lands Commission, Town and Country Planning Department, Office of the Administrator of Stool Lands, the Judicial Service and the Accra Metropolitan Assembly.

Furthermore, the second phase of LAP is intended to benefit landowners and traditional authorities, small-scale farmers including women, tenant farmers including women, leaseholders including women, land sector agencies, metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies, the Judiciary, Ghana Bar Association, estate association and service providers.