The Dean of Law and Business at Laweh University College, Kaaka Dello-Ziem, says lack of knowledge on laws regulating real estate and properties in Ghana, has contributed to a number of land litigation cases at the Courts.
He has therefore called for effective implementation of relevant laws to streamline activities of players in the industry.
Mr. Dello-Ziem, also encouraged stakeholders to keep pace with current trends, taking into account, the economic and legal implications involved in executing contracts. He said this at a 3-day Real Estate Law and Management Training for industry players in Accra.
The three-day workshop sought to expose participants to current trends, risks and opportunities in real estate law and management. It also focused on discussing the efficient dispute resolution mechanisms available to parties seeking redress in real estate disputes.
The about 50 participants, were taken through modules including the law of real estate management, investment, ADR and arbitration.
A concept paper for the training revealed that globally real estate contributes about 50 percent of the world’s assets, making it critical for economic success across the globe, Ghana not being an exception.
Mr Dello-Ziem said the workshop is a platform for participants to build stronger networks and apply due diligence in procedures involved in the industry.
He stressed the need for policymakers, developers and the general public to understand how the real estate industry operates and its associated laws.
“The legal framework that governs the real estate industry needs to come to a formal level where universities should begin to take a look at the concept where people can come and study to enable them operate effectively” he noted.
Mr Dello-Ziem said the country is bedeviled with a lot of litigation cases in the courts and it is as a result of the lack of knowledge in the area of law for industry players, who are not aware of the legal framework guiding the very institution that they operate.
“It is very necessary that these courses serve as a refreshment to enhance the industry workers to work more effectively and lower the number of litigation cases in courts” he added.
Some participants who shared their thoughts on the workshop urged people in the field of real estate and land acquisition to be abreast of latest developments and have insight about how to deal with issues regarding land guards.
They reiterated that “this is a very volatile industry and if we are not abreast of current information, it will always lead to litigations”.
The participants described the training as one that has opened their eyes to a lot of things that they did not know about land acquisition.
According to them, as at now, Ghana has a new lands act, and the training has helped with a better understanding of its provisions.
