Prime News Ghana

Lands Commission calls for collaborative effort to avoid land-related issues

By Justice Kofi Bimpeh
Lands Commission
Lands Commission
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The Lands Commission has called for a collaborative effort among stakeholders in the country to help avoid land-related issues.

The Lands Commission also asked Assemblies to be proactive to clamp down on activities of developers who have not acquired the necessary documents to build.

According to the Commission, the enforcement of the law is an integral aspect to end issues of land litigation in the country. 

Speaking to Citi FM, Executive Secretary for the Lands Commission Sulemana Mahama said a collective effort between the Lands Commission, MMDAs and Land User and Special Planning Authority will eliminate land-related issues.

READ ALSO: Seized rosewood will not be burnt - Lands Minister

"The enforcement of rules and regulation is also very weak, the District Assemblies don't have a very vigorous enforcement teams that will stop people who are building in unauthorised places from doing it, if, for example, there is a very good coordination between the lands commission, MMDAs and Land User and Special Planning Authority, I think we can have a little bit more of orderly development because if you even go and sell the land and you can not develop it you will be forced to find out who the actual owner it and then we will be able to rationalise these things.."

Protest over activities of Land guards

Residents of Adegon, a town in Kpone Katamanso District of the Greater Accra Region early this month protested over what they describe as constant attacks and harassments from land guards in the area.

The residents today, August 9, 2019, embarked on a peaceful demonstration saying that they are now living in fear and demand a rapid response from the government by ensuring security in the area to prevent these attacks.

According to reports, the actions of the land guards in the area have been ongoing for over 2 years now. Again, buildings in the area have been graded leaving them sitting on a heap of sand.

READ ALSO: W/R: '99% of documents saved' after a fire razed down Lands Commission office

Speaking to Starr FM, residents appealed to the government for security in the area 

''Everyday land guards are harassing us. Even now when you are sending your children to school they refuse to go claiming land guards will attack them. So we are appealing to the government to come to our aid. Not that we are afraid of the land guards, we don't want to take the law into our hands''.

Another stated that: What these land guards are doing is unbearable, the police are now protecting the land guards, they have beaten one of our colleagues mercilessly. When we reported, the police asked us to bring evidence. We sent them the medical report but the police didn't do anything. If they don't help us we will put the law into our own hands''.

''What is happening in our town is bad. We cannot be in our town and be attacked by land guards holding cutlass, guns. If we are been ejected from here then we should be told to relocate elsewhere if there are no laws tell us so we can defend ourselves,'' a resident indicated.