Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Nii Osah Mills, is unhappy about the indiscriminate and multiple sale of lands in the country, which he admits has been difficult to deal with under his watch.
According to the Lands Minister, people’s disregard for laws is among the contributory factors and believes a concerted effort could help stem the tide.
“It will be difficult to stop multiple sales of land. It is up to those who buy the land to protect themselves, get lawyers and seek to find information about the land,” he said.
He suggested that prospective land buyers should conduct a “search” at the Lands Commission that will determine the state of the land, whether it has already been registered in someone else’s name or not before one buys it.
There seems to be a craze for land in this country, which has culminated in a haphazard scramble for it. This has resulted in a lot of land cases pending before the law courts.
What appears to have worsened the situation is the rapid urbanisation of the country, with people trying to acquire land in the fast developing towns and cities.
Data from the Land Administration website indicate that in Ghana about 85% of all civil cases reported annually at the courts constitute land cases.
Even though not all the land cases are reported when they are adjudicated, there are landmark cases that inform the decisions of the lower courts and provide reference to courts of similar higher jurisdiction.
The situation has invariably led to disputes among family-members. In most cases, injunctions are placed on the development of such lands until the rightful owner is ascertained.
President John Mahama in June cautioned traditional leaders to stop the sale of land to multiple buyers.
According to him, such practices among others dampen the spirit of investors to expand their operations.
In spite of efforts by government, civil society and corporate bodies, land administration and management continue to be faced with problems of scattered and restricted access to land records, inadequate land records, wrong surveys and fraudulent land transactions, among others.
The minister also explained that the new client service assess unit (CSAU) at the Lands Commission will make documentation easier.
“The introduction of the CSAU is a significant milestone in the land administration reforms being undertaken by government.”
He explained that the CSAU was backed by law in the new Lands Act 2008, hence the one-stop shop, and urged Ghanaians to take advantage of it for registration of their lands.
Other regional cities including Koforidua, Sekondi, Tamale and Bolgatanga are expected to benefit from the CSAU offices, which are being funded by the Land Administration Project (LAP 2) under the auspices of the World Bank and other development partners.