Western Regional CSAU adjudged best in land service delivery

By Godwill Arthur-Mensah, GNA
Sekondi (WR), Dec. 8, GNA - The Western Regional Clients Service Access Unit (CSAU) of the Lands Commission, has been adjudged the best by the World Bank for delivering quality land documentation services to clients.

Mr Stephen Oduro Kwarteng, the Regional Lands Officer, told a staff durbar in Sekondi that the Unit received a total of 17,277 land applications from clients and completed 14,825 in record time representing 85.96 per cent work performance from November 12, 2015 to November 12, 2016.

He said hitherto, the administrative search was done within 30 days but was currently conducted within 12 days, permit search took eight days instead of 30, and the concurrence achieved within 52 days instead of four months while the plotting took 18 days instead of 30 days.

Mr Kwarteng announced that the Unit received 1,344 applications as administrative search and completed 1,024 representing 76.19 per cent,447 permit search and completed 367 representing 82.10 per cent, 846 concurrences and completed 154 representing 18.20 per cent, and 1,482 plotting and 1,400 completed representing 94.46 per cent performance.

The event also marked the one-year anniversary of the establishment of the Unit in the Region, and provided a platform to assess its performance, achievements and challenges and plan the way forward.

He said the integration of the four land divisions namely, the Land Valuation, the Land Title, the Vested Land Management as well as the Survey and Mapping divisions enabled the Commission to reconcile all of its activities in order to achieve a common goal.

Mr Kwarteng said the Unit was inaugurated on November 12, 2015, to serve as a one-stop- shop for lodging and collecting land documents within the shortest possible time, with the ultimate goal of ensuring clients' satisfaction.

He said the CSAU was also created to ensure a conducive working environment for staff to work on their core duties, digitise the operations of the Commission and remove administrative bottlenecks that delayed land documentation processes and increased the Commission's revenue mobilisation drive.

On some challenges facing the Unit, Mr Kwarteng mentioned occasional software defects, power fluctuations and unreliable internet connectivity, as well as inadequate funding as a result of huge electricity bills and insecurity at the office due to the absence of security personnel at the place.

He gave the assurance that a security man would soon be engaged at the Unit to provide security and purchase a new power plant to ensure constant supply of electricity so as to enhance its work and clients' satisfaction.

Mr Benjamin Wireku, the Regional Chairman of the Commission, indicated that the inception of the Unit had made positive impact on land service delivery and achieved some of its objectives, saying there was more room for improvement.

He urged the staff to work harder by promoting team work and avoid any form of complacency and lackadaisical attitude so as to meet the objectives for setting up the Unit.

Mr Wireku said the Commission had instituted a monitoring and evaluation team which would go round the five CSAU in the county and noted that staff that performed exceptionally would be rewarded.

GNA