Release lands to assemblies for development, Regional Minister urges chiefs

Mr Rockson Ayine Bukari, Upper East Regional Minister, has expressed concern with the land tenure system in the region and called for a policy reform to encourage landowners to give out land for public infrastructural development.

He expressed worry that the inability of the various District and Municipal Assemblies in the region to access land for development purposes has had a significant effect on some of the President’s flagship programmes.

Mr Bukari made the call while contributing to discussions on a day’s workshop to sensitize stakeholders on the election of Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs).

The Minister said the reluctance on the part of landowners who may not be accountable to chiefs in the release of their lands was discouraging the various assemblies in the region from effectively executing the good intentions of government with its industrialization programme.

Later in an interview with the Ghana News Agency, Mr Bukari said the situation has slowed down slowed down physical infrastructural development in the region.

He said much as the government could not compel chiefs and landowners to release land, it was morally sound to give out land for the construction of public facilities in areas of health, education and agriculture.

He said the region stood to benefit from the long list of the government’s flagship programmes if the land was readily made available for such projects.

Mr Bukari said the situation was having a negative bearing on development in the region adding that he has instructed the Regional Coordinating Council (RCC) to liaise with the various Municipal and District Assemblies in the region to hold a forum on the land tenure system and the importance for land owners to release land for development.

The Minister commended some of the chiefs who had expressed willingness to come to the table for discussions on the matter and appealed to interested groups to participate in the deliberations when the time comes.