Make Land Processing Less Cumbersome - Asantehene

The Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, has charged land administrators to endeavour to eliminate all impediments encountered in processes of acquiring and developing land across the country.

He noted that to achieve agreeable procedures free from hindrances that made progress difficult, it would require that staff members of the Town and Country Planning Department and the Lands Commission changed their mental attitude.

He said acts such as poor record keeping, multiple registrations of owners of land, uncontrolled and illegal land development and inability to enforce laws regarding land rights were actions that stood in the way of reforming land administration in the country.

The Asantehene was speaking at a sod-cutting ceremony for the construction of a multipurpose office complex for the Lands Commission in Kumasi.

The project is estimated to cost GH¢22.7 million and is scheduled to be completed in 15 months.

The building design depicts an integration of six different buildings that will contain shops and offices, three court yards, commercial banks and conference rooms and is also planned to be friendly to the physically challenged and an energy saver, such that in the event of power outage , staff members can still work using the open courts.

The Asantehene urged the commission to put in place a strict maintenance plan that would see the building in good condition and not allowed to deteriorate like many government buildings had been allowed to.

Lands Minister

The Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Nii Osah Mills, said that in order to address the challenges of spatial planning in the country, especially in the urban and peri-urban areas, his ministry, through the Land Administration Process (LAP), had provided funds for the development of a National Spatial Development Framework (NSDF), a 20-year development plan aimed at planning and developing cities and towns across the country.

He said Client Service and Access Units (CSAUs) had also been introduced to provide a one-stop-shop services that would begin and end on the same premises, adding that it would reduce the time and cost of land service delivery and its associated agony.

Regional Minister

The Ashanti Regional Minister, Mr Peter Anarfi-Mensah, said the edifice would create a congenial atmosphere for investment in the region since it provided a one-stop shop for lands administration.

He entreated the construction firm, FAS Consult, to exhibit professionalism and avoid any act which could affect the timely completion of the project.

He called on Ghanaians to exercise patience and rally solidly behind the government to ensure the realisation of the “Better Ghana Agenda”.

Those present at the durbar included the Chief Executive Officer of the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly, Mr Kojo Bonsu, the Ashanti Regional Police Commander, Deputy Commissioner Of Police (DCOP) Nathan Kofi Boakye and some traditional leaders.