By Godwill A. Mensah
Accra, June 14, GNA – Mr Stephen Asamoah-Boateng, the Minister of Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, has urged the Greater Accra Regional House of Chiefs to embrace the new Land Act, 2020 (Act 1036).
He further encouraged them to adopt Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) mechanisms in resolving land litigations in the Region.
He said the use of ADR in resolving land litigations or interests in land registration had the backing of the Land Act, therefore, the legislation had made it compulsory for parties to adopt it before running to the court.
Mr Asamoah-Boateng made the call at a sensitisation forum for traditional authorities in Dodowa in the Greater Accra Region.
“Chiefs have the power to resolve their land issues without running to the traditional courts, which become long and protracted and a never-ending issue,” the Minister said.
The new Act he said, was expected to facilitate a robust land administration system in the country and address land-related issues, adding that, “Chiefs have a task to ensure that they play their roles effectively by negotiating, mediating, or resorting to arbitration to bring the land disputes to their barest minimum.”
The Minister assured the House, of his Office’s commitment to expedite action on the amendment of the Chieftaincy Act, 2008 (Act 759) to clearly define the roles of chiefs and queen mothers and restore power to the traditional authorities to make them more effective in the discharge of their duties.
He reiterated that the Land Act could only serve its purpose if all stakeholders, especially chiefs, threw their weight behind it.
“The Region is bedeviled with too many land disputes therefore an all-inclusive approach is needed urgently to change this narrative,” the Minister stated.
The forum forms part of the Lands Commission’s bid to sensitise key stakeholders and the public on the new Land Act.
It was also intended to empower the traditional authorities with knowledge of the crucial roles of land administration in the country.
Mr Alex Quaynor, the Chairman of the National Lands Commission, led the delegation to the forum comprising of Management members from the Commission, the Land Act Working Group, and some staff.
Mr Quaynor, in his remarks, applauded the chiefs for the integral role they had played in the country’s land administration system.
He also reminded them of their fiduciary responsibility for holding the indigenes’ lands in trust, which made them answerable to them.
He urged them to act in a manner that would ultimately serve the interest of their people and the country at large.
He entreated the chiefs to equip themselves with the Land Act and eschew all forms of negative practices that may trigger land disputes.
The Minister cited the multiple sale of lands and land guard menace as some of the challenges that demanded conscious and deliberate efforts to stop it.
Mr Timothy Anyidoho, the Acting Greater Accra Regional Lands Officer, expressed sincere gratitude to the House, for availing themselves for the workshop, which enabled them to share ideas on land related matters in the Region.
Madam Yvonne Sowah, the Chairperson of the Regional Lands Commission, reiterated the Commission’s readiness to assist the traditional rulers to perform their duties more effectively.
King Professor Odaifio Welentsi III, the Vice President of the Greater Accra Regional House of Chiefs, urged his colleagues to treat the information they had received with ultimate seriousness and convey the message to their respective communities.
He also urged the Lands Commission to strengthen its relationship with chiefs by periodically visiting them to engage them in land-related issues and assist them to set up their Customary land Secretariats.
GNA