The Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, has urged stakeholders in the land sector in the Western North Region to work in a coordinated manner to address the mounting land-related challenges in the region.
He said the challenges, including illegal mining, deforestation, and land degradation which were driven by increasing investment interest, must be nipped in the bud to ensure sustainable management of the natural resource.
Swearing in the Land Commission Board for the Western North Region, last Thursday, Mr Buah added that it was important to tackle the challenge head-on to minimise the surge in ownership conflicts, with multiple claims from stools, families and individuals.
The minister observed that while cocoa farming, lumbering, mining and agriculture remained key economic drivers, land disputes and unauthorised development were threatening the region’s growth prospects.
Committee members
The 16-member board, which is chaired by George Kobina Richardson, has Eugene Asante Boateng, Ebenezer Ablaw, from the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA); Nana Kusi Nsiah from the Land Use and Spatial Planning Authority (LUSPA), and Katakyie Kwasi Afful II, from the Regional House of Chiefs, as its members.
Other members are Manuni Adams — Ghana National Association of Farmers and Fishermen (GNAFF) and Ben Bright Caiquo, Ghana Institute of Surveyors (Ghis).
The rest are representatives of the Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) in the region: Henry Affum - Sefwi Wiawso; Duku Benjamin Benson, Aowin; Joseph Ayambilla - Bibiani Anhwiaso Bekwai; Richard Kwasi Ayesu- Suaman; Adu Kwadwo - Bia East; Asiamah Charles - Bia West; Boneford Ampah Kwesi – Juaboso; Isaac Tawiah – Akontonmbra and Kofi Damptey – Bodi.
Investor confidence
Mr Buah said given that land was a critical factor of production, it was critical for the Western North Regional Lands Commission Board to ensure that innovative mechanisms were adopted to effectively manage the resource.
“Unauthorised land sales, boundary disputes and the lack of coordinated land planning are undermining investor confidence and leading to haphazard community expansion,” he stated.
Galamsey
The minister raised concerns about the illegal mining scourge which continues to ravage arable lands and pollute water bodies in the region, including the Tano and Bia rivers.
He said it was worrying that farmers and landowners were pressured into surrendering their lands to illegal miners — a practice that jeopardised food security and ecological stability.
Encroachment
Mr Buah also stressed the need for steps to be taken to protect state lands from encroachment activities.
He said the rise in activities of unlicensed surveyors and estate agents, as well as encroachments on public lands, sometimes carried out in collusion with traditional authorities, must be a thing of the past.
He called for stricter enforcement of the Land Act, 2020 (Act 1036), which introduced severe penalties for unlawful land transactions.
Commitment
The Western North Regional Minister, Wilbert Petty Brentum, said members of the Regional Lands Commission Board had been carefully selected by their respective assemblies and institutions due to their vast experience in land administration.
He urged members of the board to demonstrate commitment, professionalism, fairness, and hard work in the discharge of the commission’s functions.
