Hon. Benito Owusu-Bio, the Deputy Minister for Lands and Natural Resources responsible for Lands and Forestry, says the New Land Act (Act 1036) 2020 requires the concerted efforts of all stakeholders to embrace the provisions of the act and to harness it’s benefits.
He made this statement when the National lands Commission went to educate and sensitize the members of the National House of Chiefs on the New Land Act (Act 1036) on Wednesday, 16th November, 2022.
Hon. Benito indicated that in as much as the Act seeks to address some of the most pressing issues in land administration in Ghana, “the Act cannot act in isolation, it requires the concerted efforts of all stakeholders in the implementation of the provisions in the Act and enable us to enjoy from the numerous benefits that it presents”.
He noted that one way of ensuring the involvement of all, is to organize sensitization workshops for stakeholders to know the provisions of the Act, while highlighting the major solutions that it presents for the numerous challenges facing the land sector.
He told the Chiefs that as custodians of about 80% of Ghana’s lands, the National House of Chiefs, and traditional authorities for that matter, are undoubtedly the biggest and most important stakeholders in the realisation of the provisions of the Lands Act.
The Deputy Minister humbly entreated the members of the House of Chiefs to adhere to the provisions of this Act, to help bring sanity to the land sector while requesting the House to deliberate on the Act, and propose inputs to Government to consider in drafting the LI for Act 1036.
He also urge the Chiefs to regard the Act as their “Bible” which he said will guide all land management activities and transactions, adding that the Lands Commission, the Office of the Administrator of Stool Lands and other land sector agencies alone, cannot cause the overhaul that needs to be seen in land administration.
Hon. Owusu-Bio called for collaboration saying “Let us collaborate to make land administration better, so that the past, present and future generations will be proud of how well we have performed our role as custodians and managers of the customary land”
The President of the National House of Chiefs, Nana Ogyehoho Yaw Gbebi II in short remark expressed his sincerest gratitude to the Deputy Minister and the Lands Commission for enlightening the house on the Lant Act and for sponsoring the entire exercise. While various Chiefs also took turns to ask probing questions on the land Act which were all answered by the Deputy Minister.
After the sensitization, the team made available 80 copies of the Land Act to the members of National House of Chiefs and 10 of Copies submitted to the library of the National House of Chiefs.
Also with the Minister on the sensitization campaign was the National Chairman of the Lands Commission, Mr. Alex Quaynor, the Executive Secretary of the Commission, the Administrator of Stool Lands, Mrs. Maame Ama Edumadze-Acquah, Mr. James Dadson, the Technical Director for Lands at the Ministry, Mr. Maxwell Adu-Nsarfoa and other members of the National Lands Commission.
Source: Mybrytnewsroom.com/Kwabena Nyarko Abronoma
