Chiefs cautioned against indiscriminate land sale

Tamale, March 15, GNA - Participants at a regional workshop on "Land Policy Reform", in Tamale have cautioned chiefs and land owners against the indiscriminate sale of land.

They contended that as a result of the rural/urban migration, chiefs easily sold land to non-natives of the communities, warning that if the practice was not effectively controlled, it could create problems in the future.

The participants included chiefs, officials of the Lands Department, the Environmental Protection Agency and civil society organizations.

The workshop was organized by the Institute of Statistical, Social and Economic Research {ISSER) in collaboration with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

Dr George Botchie, an officer of the Land Policy Reform Research Project (LPRG), appealed to the participants to brainstorm and come out with useful suggestions that would help address problems associated with the country's land tenure system.

"Land problems are a security matter and they should not be taken lightly", he said, adding that land problems have the tendency to cause conflicts in society.

Chief Von Salifu, a former Northern Regional Director of the Centre for National Culture, said involving women in landed property should effectively tackle the issue of land administration