Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia
Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia has revealed that, the new Land Act 2020 (Act 1063) demands that chiefs, tendanas, clan and family heads who are custodians of approximately 80% of the land area of Ghana establish Customary Land Secretariats to improve the management of their land.
He said this will ensure that the provisions of the Land Act are implemented effectively, as resources are channeled towards it.
According to him, technical and professional assistance will be required from the office of the Administrator of Stool and Lands and the other technical departments to help in the establishment of the secretariat, adding that the Lands and Natural Resources Minister Samuel Abu Jinapor, will provide the necessary support.
“Our Traditional Authorities will require technical and professional assistance from the Lands Commission, Office of the Administrator of Stool Lands and the Land Use and Spatial Planning Authority to establish the Secretariats. I trust the Minister would give the urgent support and needed directives to the agencies to this end,” he stated.
He made these comments when addressing participants at a national symposium organized to launch the dissemination of the Land Act 2020 by the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources in collaboration with other land use administrators in Accra on Wednesday.
“The Act 1036 significantly introduces new provisions relating to customary land management, compulsory acquisition and vesting of lands, electronic conveyancing, and spousal land rights”, the vice president said.
Dr. Bawumia expressed his delight that the comprehensive document guiding the use and administration of land had finally become a reality, since previous governments often encountered various complications.
“It is worth noting that successive governments have tried resolving the challenges in our Land Administration system, but these efforts have often come with various complications, and inefficient deployment of resources,” he said.
Dr. Bawumia said, government is committed to addressing the critical challenges in the land sector and optimizing the contribution of land to the socio-economic development.
He charged the Lands Ministry, Lands Commission and other land management agencies and traditional leaders to see to the implementation of the new Land Act 2020 (Act 1063) to ensure sanity and security in the administration of land in Ghana.