Ghana Integrity Initiative, (GII) says to improve upon land governance in Ghana, eliminate corruption and ensure access to all especially, women, it is important to improve multi-stakeholder dialogues, so that land users can make informed decisions.
Also, there is a need to make paralegal services available and accessible to the people to eliminate some of the challenges in land acquisition, for example the multiple sale of land.
Project Co-ordination of GII’s Land and Corruption in Africa Project, Michael Okai who pointed these out in a presentation at a forum in Accra also stated that the government must work closely with “the traditional authority to educate them on the Land Bill”, given that Chiefs and Queen mothers are custodians of the land.
The Multi-Stake Holder Land Forum was geared toward the Role of Civil Society in the Land Discourse”.
It brought together stake-holders in the land sector including representatives from the legislature, Lands Commission, Office of Administration of Stool Lands, CSOs, Media, Traditional Authority, Academia amongst others.
Mr. Okai pointed out that impact of corruption on every society is severe as billions which should be channeled into development get lost to corruption.
It is in light of this that all “citizens most support the fight to eliminate corruption from our society”.
He mentioned the multiple sale of land, scattered laws, long land litigation cases in the courts”, among others as inimical to land governance in Ghana.
The GII forum concluded that stakeholders must speak up on the issue of how to make land resources accessible to the people to minimize corruption.
The Head, Department of Land at KNUST, Prof. John Tiah Bugri, also identified the lack of spatial planning as bane to Ghana’s land challenges.
He suggested that traditional authority and land owners must be involved in the process of planning where planners must insist on demarcating roads, gutters etc before buildings are put up to avoid the challenges of land use in Ghana.
GII’s Programme Manager, Mrs. Mary Addah confirmed that it has conducted baseline studies that pointed to the fact that “Land ownership for women is a problem, through inheritance especially in Northern Ghana”.
It was agreed at the forum that CSOs must have oversight over the issues, co-ordinate efforts, monitor and evaluate and share results and lessons so as to push for the passage of the Land Bill to address challenges inherent in the land sector.
Story filed by Rebecca EKPE
