Litigation over land threatens proposed Kofi Annan project

Ho (Volta Region) -- The Kofi Annan International Peace Keeping Training Centre Project at Akoefe, near Ho, risked being aborted due to threats in a letter addressed to President John Agyekum Kufuor by a claimant to the land earmarked for the project.

The letter read by Mr Kwasi Owusu-Yeboa, Volta Regional Minister to bemused members of the Volta Regional House of Chiefs at a meeting on Wednesday warned of bloodshed. The Minister, however, withheld the name of the author of the letter.

He said the region was the potential first choice among other locations in the country where the project was to be sited until the letter was addressed to the President without passing through his office. Mr Owusu-Yeboa pointed out that such reactionary behaviour should not be tolerated.

The Regional minister appealed to chiefs in the region to use their influence to avert such unfortunate tendencies, which tend to obstruct and sabotage projects meant to improve upon the life of the people in the region. Mr Owusu-Yeboa appealed to landlords in the region to contact the Regional Lands commission for advice before taking action on any land issue.

Reacting to an appeal by Togbega Gabusu VI, President of the House for legislation empowering chiefs to arbitrate in land disputes, Mr Owusu-Yeboa explained that the success of such arbitrations depended on the freewill of the litigants to submit to such arbitration other than being compelled by legislation to do so. He said the courts have the powers to make the decisions of such arbitration legally binding on the litigants.

Togbega Gabusu called on the government to appoint legal counsels to the Regional Houses of Chiefs as a matter of urgency to enable the judicial committees to function. He also appealed for an increase in the allowances paid to chiefs by the district assemblies.

The president of the House of chiefs pledged the unflinching support of the chiefs in the region to President Kufuor and his administration and wished him well in his efforts to lay a firm foundation for the country's development. He commended the Regional Minister for the open manner in which he has been dealing with chiefs in the region towards realising the goal of rapid development of the region.

Meanwhile, the House has called for a delegation of chiefs, opinion leaders and government officials to pursue the amicable settlement of all problems associated with the Kofi Annan Training Centre Project as a matter of urgency.