The Lands Commission intends to undertake weekly publications in the print media on topical issues to provide detailed and exhaustive public education.
The weekly publications will begin on Friday, June 8, and would run for some weeks until all topical issues are addressed.
Some of the pertinent issues to be immediately addressed in these publications will be Government policy on redevelopment and in-filling schemes and its implementations and unwarranted claims by some persons over government lands.
It will also include management of public and vested lands, government policy on return of acquired lands to original owner, and general procedures in relation to searches, mortgages and consents.
This was contained in a statement issued by Nana Adjei Ampofo, National Chairman of the Commission and copied to the Ghana News Agency in Accra on Tuesday.
It said, "In recent times, the Lands Commission has come under a plethora of attacks in the course of executing its mandate in the management of public lands. It is noted that a lot of misinformation has gone out to the public regarding various challenges on the land scene in this country."
The Commission categorically denied allegations that it had engaged in any indiscriminate or illegal sale or allocation of public lands. Government's policy on redevelopment and in-filling schemes indeed dates back to post-independence era.
The current Lands Commission as a matter of fact inherited various policies by past governments that required prudent decisions in order to forestall legal battles.
"Since 2009, the Commission has not undertaken any new redevelopment scheme. The Commission has at all times worked within the policies of Governments.
"The public is assured of the Commission’s commitment to provide relevant information on redevelopment and in-filling schemes in Accra and Kumasi.
"We have also taken note of claims by the E.B. Tibboh family and the various inscriptions on walls and buildings in Accra. These claims are baseless. The family has instituted about 15 lawsuits against the Commission and its lessees in respect of various parcels of lands within the Accra Metropolis."
It is worth noting that in the discharge of its mandate, the Lands Commission has been guided by the provisions of Article 36(8) of the 1992 Constitution which states; “the State shall recognise that ownership and possession of land carry a social obligation to serve the larger community, and in particular, the State shall recognise that the managers of public, stool, skin and family lands are fiduciaries charged with the obligation to discharge their functions for the benefit of the people of Ghana, of the stool, skin or family concerned and are accountable as fiduciaries in this regard.”
It is in the context of this Constitutional provision that the Commission appreciates the discourse as a necessary feedback for effective land administration.
As fiduciaries charged with the obligation to manage public lands, it is incumbent upon the Commission in the larger public interest, to allay the suspicions of the agitated section of the larger community who seek to question the basis and policy guidelines underlying the lease of such lands to lessees of Government.
These lease transactions have unfortunately been misconstrued as sale transactions by the public.
The Commission assures the public of its commitment to transparency and the creation of an enabling environment for the highest and best use of the nation’s land resources.
As partners in national development, the media has a significant role to play. The Lands Commission will continue to count on the media in its efforts to inform and educate the public at large.
“Therefore let the media and the Commission embrace one another as we go through this challenging moment of enhancing and sustaining public confidence in the land administration in this country,” the statement said.
The Lands Commission welcomes any suggestion from the public.**
