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The National Chairman of the Lands Commission, Alhaji. Bakari Sadiq Nyari has described the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II as a pacesetter as far as land administration in the country is concerned. He said the establishment of Customary Lands Secretariats across the country is a function of the initiative of the Asantehene.

Alhaji Nyari, who led the 19-member Commission to the Manhyia Palace last week, during a courtesy call, indicated that the Asantehene’s Land Secretariat had informed the establishment of Land Secretariats at the various traditional Councils following a greater collaboration between Otumfuo and the Land Commission.

The Lands Commission is on a three-day working visit to the Ashanti Region to acquaint itself with management of public and vested lands and issues of valuation from compensation as well as meet with staff of the Commission to brainstorm the mandate for a deeper understanding of the role in national development.

Chairman Nyari noted that the Part One lands issues had opened the eyes of the Commission in relation to management of vested lands and hinted that the Commission had started processes for investigations into the proper handling of vested lands.

The Lands Commission boss also bemoaned the congestion at the Central Business District of Kumasi and suggested the opening u of areas like the Ridge and Danyame in Kumasi for development to ease the congestion.

The Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II frowned on extortion and lack of transparency in the management of lands on the part of some chiefs and at the various lands Secretariats and urged the Lands Commission to take steps to guard against these bottlenecks because the practice tends to impede development and foreign investment inflow.

He said the moratorium he gave for the preparation of leases by landowners was to discourage extortion by the staff of the Land Secretariat. The Ashanti King welcomed a scheme for redevelopment by the Lands Commission saying he attaches great importance to the Kumasi Redevelopment scheme.

The Executive Secretary of the Lands Commission, Dr. Wilfred K. Anim-Odame announced that the Commission would establish Customer Service Access Units at Accra, Koforidua, Sekondi, Tamale and Bolgatanga by June this year.

He said these would serve as a One-Stop centres for customers to transact all businesses with staff of Lands Commission, Town and Country Planning department and Office of the Administration of Stool Lands.

Dr. Anim-Odame indicated that the one-stop centres would be operated digitally as documents and records would be computerized to facilitate operations of the Commission. Meanwhile, the Lands Commission has handed over a site in Kumasi to Messrs Jasoung Limited for the construction of a One Stop Office Complex for the Lands Commission.

The project would be completed in 15 months, according to the contractor, Mr. John Apati Sahyoun, under the coordination of Mr. Benjamin Quaye of the Land Administration Projection (LAP).

The chairman of the Land Commission said the project is very critical to the Commission because it is in critical need for office accommodation for staff of Land Commission, Town and Country Planning department and the Office of the Administration of Stool Lands to enable them, fulfill their mandate in the management of lands.

He said overcrowding at the offices makes it difficult for easy processing of procedures. Dr. Anim-Odame lauded the designs for the project and hoped the contractor would work to make the designs manifest on the ground at the project site.

160,000 PLUS APPLIED FOR LEASE…Under Otumfuo’s moratorium

In a related development, over 160,000 persons and more have applied for title deeds and leases for their lands following the moratorium the Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II recently.  The Regional Lands Officer, Nana Kwampong Aboah II, who disclosed this to The Chronicle, said the exercise by the Ashanti King had enabled more people to regularize their documents at the Lands Commission.

Nana Aboah said the number keeps soaring up even at the close of the moratorium, which was meant to encourage land owners to acquire title deeds and avoid extortion by staff of the various lands Secretariats.

The Lands Officer commended Otumfuo for the initiative which he said had enabled residents to register their title deeds for their landed properties and said it had enhanced the holistic development of lands and the work of the Lands Commission.