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From Edmond Gyebi
The Northern Regional Minister, Alhaji Mohammed Muniru Lemuna, has passionately appealed to traditional authorities in the region to commit themselves to the Land Administration Project Reforms to avoid the frequent outbreak of conflicts or disputes resulting from undetermined land boundaries or demarcations.
Conflicts or disputes relating to lands have not only led to loss of human lives and properties, but have also affected the development of the region.
Speaking at a stakeholder sensitisation workshop organised by the Office of the Administrator of Stool Lands (OASL) in Tamale for key traditional authorities on Customary Boundary Demarcation, the Northern Regional Minister, in a speech read on his behalf by the Northern Regional Coordinating Director, Alhassan Issahaku, said that land was an important national asset which ought to be well managed and protected.
The sensitisation workshop was targeted at the Sagnarigu and Yoo traditional areas, which had submitted formal requests to the Administrator of Stool Lands for customary boundaries demarcation of their lands under the LAP-2.
The workshop included other participants from twelve traditional areas which share common boundaries with the Yoo and Sagnarigu traditional areas. Also in attendance were five district assemblies, which had administrative jurisdiction over the traditional areas, members of the security agencies, civil society groups and various community members.
The Northern Regional Minister entreated the Office of the Administrator of Stool Lands, Lands Commission and the Department of Town and Country Planning to continue to dialogue with the traditional authorities who are the custodians of most lands in the country.
The Minister encouraged the traditional authorities to take advantage of the Customary Boundary Demarcation initiative to resolve land boundary disputes between paramouncies as enshrined in the 1999 National Land Policy.
The Paramount Chief of the Savelugu Traditional Area, Yoo Naa Abukari VII, was highly elated about the sensitisation programme, and expressed the hope that the government would continue to support them to develop better land administration practices in the region.
He called for the co-operation of all stakeholders and observed that if all traditional authorities were able to undertake peaceful and purposeful Customary Boundary Demarcations under the LAP initiative, the Dagbon State would stand to benefit immensely.
He, therefore, advised the youth and members of the various communities to continue to live in peace and promote better neighbourliness.
He entreated the communities to support the exercise when the time comes, so that boundary disputes would become a thing of the past.
Yoo-Naa Abukari VII also encouraged all stakeholders to respect time-tested cultural practices relating to land management, and be able to deliver the much-needed development which their communities were always yearning for.
Surveyor Samuel Anini, head of the Land Valuation Division and the Focal Person of the Northern Regional Lands Commission on LAP-2, who chaired the event, was full of praise for the traditional authorities who showed great interest in the sensitisation forum.
He affirmed that the enthusiasm and commitment of all stakeholders in the land administration reform can definitely be a catalyst for the economic growth and development in the region.
Surveyor Anini, therefore, reminded the participants that the initiatives being promoted by the OASL, through the establishment of customary land secretariats and customary boundary demarcation, were a panacea for resolving land-related poverty in the region, which must be supported by all.
He commended the organisers for the highly patronised programme, and advised them to extend the sensitisation to the communities.
Earlier in his address, the Regional Stool Lands Officer Surveyor Franklin Oppong-Obiri, informed participants about the statutory and policy interventions and actions which created the necessary framework for customary boundary demarcation as a prerequisite for securing land rights and safeguarding the interests of present and future generations.
He disclosed that about $1.98 million had been earmarked under the LAP-2 for boundary demarcation throughout the country, and therefore encouraged the traditional authorities to take advantage of the initiative to secure their lands.
Surveyor Oppong-Obiri expressed confidence that land owners who shared boundaries with the Yoo and Sagnarigu traditional areas would collaborate effectively to ensure a successful boundary demarcation, if a social assessment which would be carried out later proved the activity to be highly feasible.