Land Owners Urged To Take Advantage Of Rural Parcel Rights Demarcation

The Office of the Administrator of Stool Lands (OASL) has urged customary land owners to take advantage of the Rural Parcel Rights Demarcation (RPRD) under the Land Administration Project (LAP) to ensure easy identification and documentation of their lands. According to the office, land conflicts and litigation between individuals and land owners in the country were often as a result of indeterminate boundaries of rural parcels which could be attributed to the use of non-permanent natural features as boundaries as well as inaccurate and unapproved plans. Mr. Prince Gyapong, the Acting Central Regional Stool Lands Officer of the OASL, said this at a workshop held at Twifo Praso on Wednesday to sensitize members of the Twifo Hemang Lower Denkyira Assembly (THLDA) and other stakeholders on the Second Phase LAP (LAP-2). LAP, which is the principal programme for implementing the National Land Policy (NLP), has been initiated by the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources to improve security of tenure, simplify the land acquiring process, improving the land market and management system though efficient administration by both the state and customary land owners. As part of the implementation of LAP-1, RPRD, which deals with the demarcation and survey of individual parcels of land within beneficiary communities, 10 allodial pilot boundaries were undertaken on supply-led approach. However under the LAP- 2, the RPRD is being scaled up and continued within selected customary land owning Communities on a demand-led approach which would need a request from interested communities, after a set of conditions. Mr. Gyapong explained that the change in approach was to ensure that beneficiary parcel land owners gave their absolute commitment to the project implementation and were prepared to share part of the cost. He said the benefits of the RPRD included land tenure security, improvement through the reduction in the number of encroachment and disputes and well as empowering vulnerable groups such as women, settler farmers and physically challenged and improved land related investment and income. He said it would also help determine the number of tenants, build and update records of tenants of traditional authorities as well as improve revenue generation and create the opportunity for farmers to register and document their interest. Mr. Gyapong stressed the need to take advantage of the RPRD since the cost of normal land survey and demarcation was very expensive and would therefore be difficult, if not impossible, for tenants and settle farmers to do that on their own. He also urged traditional councils and land owners to embrace the establishment of Customary Land Secretariats (CLSs) so as to help improve land management and administration. Mr. Joseph Abakah Arthur, a surveyor with the Central Regional Land Commission advised prospective land owners to ensure that proper documentation and registration of their lands were done, whether such lands were purchased, inherited, given on lease or received as gift so as to serve as evidence in the light of land disputes. The THLDA Chief Executive, Mr. Bossman Osei Hyiamang Jnr said land disputes were impeding the progress of some districts since investors were being scared away and urged participants to support the initiative by government to minimize land disputes to attract more investors and foster development