Land title registration to be decentralized

Bolgatanga, May 31, GNA - Land title registration under the Ghana Land Administration Project introduced by the Lands Commission, would be decentralized to the regions from August, this year.

To this end, a Deeds Registry is to be established in Bolgatanga to cater for Upper East Region, to save residents of the drudgery and bureaucracy associated with having to travel to Accra to obtain their land title documents.

Mr Justice Isaac Richard Aboagye, Chairman of the Lands Commission, who announced this at a press briefing in Bolgatanga on Tuesday said, "Funding for the project has been secured, accommodation has been found and a registrar has been appointed for gazetting."

Accompanied by Alhaji Hamidu Ibrahim Baryeh, Executive Secretary of the Commission, the two officials are visiting offices of the Commission in the region to acquaint themselves with problems confronting the staff and to find solutions to those problems.

Mr Justice Aboagye said even though skin lands that were previously vested in the state had now been returned to their owners, there were some acquired lands still being managed by the Commission. These included lands acquired by the state to establish government departments and other state institutions.

Mr Justice Aboagye urged officials of the Commission in the region to co-operate with traditional authorities and encourage them to educate their people to document their lands to avoid litigation. In addition, he said officials of the Commission should intensify public education to sensitise the people on proper land acquisition procedures in order that landowners who had been paid compensation in the past would refrain from agitating for more compensation on the grounds that what they received was inadequate.

"Even if you were given five Shillings in the past, that was enough compensation at the time," he said.