Ahanta To Settle Disputes To Benefit From Oil Boom

THE Ahanta Traditional Council has initiated moves to resolve outstanding chieftaincy and land disputes in the area before actual production of the oil discovered recently in the area begins.

For a start, the council has directed that with immediate effect, no chief or family head should sell or lease any land without the consent of the Ahantahene, Otumfuo Baidoo-Bonsoe XIV.

Disclosing this to the Times at Busua on Monday, Otumfuo Baidoo-Bonsoe said the decision is to ensure that lands being offered for sale or leased were properly released by the rightful chief or land owner.

It is also to check indiscriminate sale of lands to speculators who would like to purchase the land and later re-sell them to real investors.

The measures according to Otumfuo Baidoo Bonsoe will go a long way to minimise litigation among chiefs and land owners and encourage companies that will be working in the area.

Otumfuo Baidoo-Bonsoe appealed to the Lands Commission to co-operate with the Traditional Council to ensure effective enforcement of the directives.

'All of us must help to ensure peace in the Ahanta area,' he said.

The Ahantahene revealed also that so far two investors have acquired 200 and 400 hectares of land at Egyambra and Princess Town, respectively.

One of the investors, Cirrus Energy Limited, will construct a wharf, Helicopter Park and houses for workers while the other whose name was not immediately available will construct an ultra modern hotel at Princesstown.

He said three other individuals have approached the chief of Cape Three Points, Nana Ekye Kese, for land but no commitment had been made yet.

Otumfuo Baidoo-Bonsoe noted that the oil discovery would bring in a lot of development to the area when production starts.

He therefore urged the people in the area to position themselves to derive the full benefits of the oil discovery.

Students in the area are also being encouraged to study hard to be able to gain employment with the companies that would be operating in the area.