Alhaji Yusif Sulemana, the Deputy Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, has tasked the newly inaugurated Upper West Regional Lands Commission Board to serve the collective interest of the region.
He recognised land as an “invaluable” and “precious” resource that played a pivotal role in development, as every development intervention required the use of land, hence the need for its effective management.
The Deputy Minister said: “You cannot do virtually everything without land. Even if we want to build a school, we will require land from the landowners…. If anybody wants to invest in this region, you will have to get land.
“That’s how important land is. So, … bear in mind that you are not here on this Board to serve your self-centered interests, but rather to serve the collective interests of the region.”
Alhaji Sulemana, also the Member of Parliament for the Bole-Bamboi Constituency in the Savanna Region, gave the task in Wa, at the weekend when he inaugurated the newly constituted Lands Commission Board, in the region.
The 18-member board comprised representatives from all Municipal and District Assemblies in the region, Lawyers, the Regional House of Chiefs, the Ghana Institute of Surveyors, the Land Use and Spatial Planning Authority and the Ghana National Association of Farmers and Fishermen.
Alhaji Sulemana encouraged the board to collaborate with all necessary stakeholders in the region, including traditional leaders, in the discharge of its duties and to take steps to resolve all land-related disputes and conflicts in the region.
The Deputy Minister explained that the government, through his Ministry, had envisaged digitalising land administration in the country to help address land-related conflicts arising from multiple land sales.
He added that they were currently engaging stakeholders and the investment community to partner with governments to digitalise the system.
Alhaji Sulemana also encouraged the Board to decentralise land registration in the region to reduce transportation-related costs in land registration.
Justice Alhaji Yussif Assibey, the Supervising Wa High Court Judge, swore in the board members.
Mr. Charles Lwanga Puozuing, the Upper West Regional Minister, urged the Board to improve land registration in the region to attract investors.
He also entreated the members to collaborate with the Minerals Commission and landowners in the region to address the issue of illegal mining.
Mr. Iddrissu Munjamilu, the Chairperson of the Board, commended the President for their appointment to the Board.
He expressed their commitment to ensuring that the government’s “resetting agenda” was realised in land administration in the region.
Source: GNA
