Establish the land regulatory authority – Dr Gyamera opines

The Chief Executive Officer of Gyam Engineering and Construction Works Limited, Engineer Dr. Ebenezer Ankomah Gyamera, has called on government to establish the Land Regulatory Authority as a measure to minimize the various land related disputes in the country.

Speaking in an interview on the Hard Truth show on Ocean 1TV, Eng. Dr. Gyamera indicated that the process of leasing a land sometimes becomes very complex, starting from identifying the location you want the land, through searching and surveying stages, to payment for the land, is a process most people are usually unable to go through smoothly.

He said, having an institution like the Land Regulatory Authority will complement the works of the Lands Commission, which started as lands records unit at the then s Surveying department now survey and mapping unit of the now lands commission and as such, do not have the mandate to provide regulatory supervision in its entirety.

The Land Use and Spatial Planning Lecturer at the University of Cape Coast further indicated that, having such an authority will give the lessee some level of protection and confidence in the system. It will also help with planning our cities and towns since it will be the sole responsibility of the regulatory authority to access and apportion sites for filling stations, industries, schools, religious organizations, residence among others.

Eng. Dr. Gyamera also called on government to license more surveyors to help reduce the adulteration associated with the falsification of land documents.

He said because there is limited number of licensed surveyors in the country, the demand for surveyors is almost always on the increase which paves way for some shams to fill in the gap, hence, denting the dignity of the profession and putting clients at risk.

Reacting to questions on the role of chiefs in land leasing, Eng. Dr. Gyamera called on government to assign some land administrative roles to Paramount Chiefs.

He said with the exception of some few areas like the Ashanti Region, most Paramount Chiefs in Ghana are suddenly put to a surprise by the claim of ownership of a particular land and the type of structures some of these owners erect on some of these lands for various purposes within their traditional areas.

Dr. Gyamera disclosed that, such acts have led to various land and chieftaincy disputes within our communities. These acts have also minimized the reverence given to some traditional rulers.