Dangers as foreigners acquire large tracts of land in Ghana
The Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources is disturbed about the acquisition of large tracts of lands by foreigners, particularly Chinese and Nigerians.
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The ministry said it was disturbing that chiefs were convinced to sell large tracts of lands to foreigners who came with enticing words and money to acquire the lands for speculative purposes.
The ministry has, therefore, called on chiefs to be wary of such enticing offers and preserve their lands for posterity.
At a ceremony to swear in the Central Regional Lands Commission in Cape Coast, the Deputy Minister for the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, Ms Barbara Serwaa Asamoah, said the situation where foreigners were buying all our lands could lead to conflict in the future.
The 27-member board is to help in the effective management of lands in the region.
“Find out exactly what these potential investors would do with the land before selling them,” Ms Asamoah said.
The Executive Secretary of the Lands Commission, Dr Wilfred Anim-Odame, in an interview, said those buyers usually posed as potential investors and bought huge tracts of land for speculative purposes.
“The oil find is one main reason for this. They buy the lands in anticipation that prices would rise in future. The Nigerians and the Chinese are the ‘culprits’,” he indicated.
Ms Asamoah said Ghana depended a lot on its natural resources and urged all stakeholders to work together to improve transparency and accountability to better manage the land system.
She expressed concern that the Central Region office of the lands commission had a lot of court cases pending, saying the region was next to the Greater Accra Region with pending disputes and urged them to try alternative dispute resolution.
The Central Regional Minister, Mr Samuel Sarpong, called on the municipal and district assemblies to fully assert their mandate in the effective management of lands in their jurisdiction.
He urged them to be proactive in clamping down on illegal mining, the activities of land guards and other negative activities that degrade the environment.