Customary Land Secretariats Urged To Ensure Effective Administration

Mr Odamey Larbi, Director of the Land Administration Project, yesterday urged customary land secretariats in the country to liaise with their traditional councils so as to ensure consensus building and effective administration.

He said, 'This way, the customary land secretariats would enhance the supervisory role of the land administration project and promote mutual understanding among the people.'

Mr Larbi said this when he and other officers from the Ministry of Lands, Forestry and Mines, World Bank and Department for International Development paid a familiarisation visit to the Dormaa customary land secretariat at Dormaa-Ahenkro in the Brong Ahafo Rgion.

The visit afforded the team the opportunity to learn at first hand, the action plan and level of operation of the secretariat since its inauguration in June 2006.

Mr Larbi commended the Dormaa traditional council for being one of the first traditional councils in the country to embrace the customary land secretariat concept. He noted that the land administration project was primarily aimed at streamlining the processes of land acquisition from customary sector to guarantee security of tenure.

Mr Larbi said the project expected much from the customary land secretariats across the country to off-set the numerous disputes that characterised ownership and demarcation of land.

Barima Ansu Adjei, Krontihene of Dormaa Traditional Council, who received the delegation, said the Dormaa customary land secretariat registered 40 land leases which were executed by the Omnahene and his elders.

These, he said, comprised of four leases for agri-business, 26 for residential and 10 for industrial and religious purposes.

Barima Ansu Adjei said as part of its activities over the period, the secretariat hosted a two-day workshop organised by the national facilitator in December 2007, where 26 persons were trained to collect demographic data and enumerate houses within the Dormaa Ahenkro township.

He said the secretariat was also instrumental in ensuring out-of-court settlement of land-related disputes and replacement of building plots where necessary.

Barima Ansu Adjei appealed to the sponsors and the Lands Ministry to take up the payment of salary for staff of the secretariat and also provide funds to sponsor education on land issues in communities under the traditional council.