Stakeholders sensitized on project to enhance land rights

Kumasi, Nov 16, GNA – Efforts at tackling head-on the incidence of land tenure insecurity in the country has received a big boost with the development of some innovative tools to secure and protect land rights.   It is part of the “Innovative tools to secure land rights in West Africa-Ghana Project”, funded by the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED).   At a stakeholder meeting to help people to have better understanding of the project had been held at the Royal Lamerta Hotel in Kumasi.   Mr Mark Kakraba-Ampeh, Director of the Land Resource Management Centre (LRMC), an NGO, which spearheads the implementation, said it seeks to improve the security of land access for more vulnerable groups like peasant farmers, women and pastoralists, based on innovative, locally-developed and adapted tools.   This was a response to land tenure insecurity due to the absence of proper boundary demarcation and documentation supported by site plans.   The lack of documentation of tenancies, he said, had resulted in frequent contestation of agreements among land owners, share croppers and caretakers.   The project for now is being piloted in 10 selected communities across the nation.   Mr. Kakraba-Ampeh said the LRMC had come out with some new approaches to resolve local level disputes by dispute resolution committees and land agreement templates.   The refreshing aspect of this, he said was the use of a committee whose members are selected by the community instead of traditional authorities to mediate disputes.   He said he was confident that the project would eventually lead to the documentation and sharing of lessons on tools for securing land rights.    It would also ensure the documentation of agreements between land owners, share croppers and caretakers through community-based land administration.   He said there was the added advantage of improving participation in tenancy markets through awareness creation and local dialogue between willing tenants and landowners.   GNA... Read Full Story