President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo at a national conference today, December 7, charged the Lands Commission to ensure that it goes fully digital, .
The four-day national conference, which is being held on the theme, “Leveraging National Land Policy, Legislation and Institutional Capacity towards Sustainable Socio-Economic Development” brings together stakeholders in the management and administration of lands in Ghana, including traditional leaders, Members of Parliament, the Judiciary, academia, civil society organisations, among others, to deliberate on leveraging land policy and legislation for socio-economic development.
Speaking at the Conference at the Accra International Conference Centre, the President, Nana Akuffo Addo applauded the Lands Commission for moving some of its services online, but noted that it is still unacceptable that the Commission still operates largely manual in this age of technology.
“We cannot deliver an efficient land administration if documents on land have to be processed manually. We must, therefore, expedite action on the digitalisation agenda, and ensure that the Commission goes fully digital.”
President Akuffo Addo
His Excellency underscored the importance of land to socio-economic development. He indicated that virtually all human activities revolve around land, with some ninety percent (90%) of our population depending, directly or indirectly, on land for their livelihoods. That is why to him, Government prioritised the passage of the Land Act, 2020 (Act 1036), which had been in the draft stage for over 20 years.
The President disclosed that several interventions have been made over the years, particularly through the Land Administration Project (LAP), but the country’s land administration is still fraught with several challenges.
The President, however, called on stakeholders to work together to ensure that they deliver an effective and efficient land administration. He stated that Act 1036, with its various innovative provisions, provide a strong foundation for delivering a robust and efficient land administration.
President Akuffo Addo further pledged Government’s commitment to work with all stakeholders to ensure a land administration that is fit for purpose.
Remarks By Lands and Natural Resources Minister
The Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, who doubles as the Member of Parliament for Damongo Constituency, Hon Samuel Jinapor, in his remarks disclosed that the land conference is the first of its kind in the history of the country, and seeks to provide policy direction for land administration through broader consultations.
The Minister revealed that the Land Policy of 1999, though still relevant, does not address new challenges posed by technological advancement and infrastructural development. He lamented over the several challenges in land administration in the country, including conflicting judicial decisions.
The lawmaker further stated that the Ministry and the Lands Commission have been working together, to deal with these challenges, through interventions such as online searches, the use of drones for surveying, and decentralisation of land services.
Hon Jinapor disclosed that the Ministry will continue to work with the Lands Commission and all stakeholders to deliver “a robust and functioning land administration, which will discard the usual inefficiencies, fraud and delays, and which will be anchored on the principles of transparency and integrity.”
The Conference will end on Friday, and is expected to produce a set of recommendations for addressing the various challenges with land administration in the country.
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