3 CUSTOMARY LAND SECRETARIATS INAUGURATED (PAGE 22)

THE Brong Ahafo Regional Co-ordinator of the Land Administration Project (LAP), Mr Sandy A. Mensah, has observed with concern that neither the district assemblies nor a majority of traditional authorities were judiciously applying stool revenues for projects that would benefit their communities.
He stated that it was incumbent on Nananom to ensure that whatever revenue that accrued on lands for which they were trustees, went to benefit the generality of their people but noted “some Nananom treat these revenues as personal incomes”.
Under Article 267 (1) of the Constitution, “All stool lands in Ghana shall be vested in the appropriate stool on behalf of and in trust for the subjects of the stool in accordance with customary law and usage.”
The Constitution also established the Office of the Administration of Stool Lands (OASL), charged with the responsibility of collection, management and disbursement of stool land revenue.
According to Mr Mensah, 55 per cent of such revenue went to the district/municipal assemblies while Nananom, the trustees of those lands, received 45 per cent on behalf of their stools.
Mr Mensah, who is also the Regional Lands Officer, made the observation in his welcoming address at the inauguration of three new Customary Land Secretariats (CLSs) for Drobo, Techiman and Nkoranza Traditional Areas in Sunyani.
CLSs are specialised offices established by the local land-owning communities with the support from the government to improve land management and administration in the country.
Mr Mensah stated that the government was providing assistance under the LAP, which was being implemented by the Ministry of Lands, Forestry and Mines (MLFM).
As of August 31, 2008, 38 CLSs, had been established and were being inaugurated in a series to strengthen Customary Land Administration in the country, under component II of the LAP.
According to the regional LAP co-ordinator, those secretariats were to be front runners in transaction in their localities, by capturing the requisite data on sales, transactions, user and parties involved, such that proper records would be kept to avoid multiple transactions and unlawful repossession, as well as to promote good governance, transparency and accountability in land administration.
He explained that about 80 per cent of all lands in the country were in traditional ownership, and that Nananom as community leaders were supposed to organise, motivate, inspire and lead their community members to the attainment of sustainable development.
“However, evidence on the ground shows that neither the district assemblies nor majority of Nananom are applying these revenues for projects that would benefit their communities, to the extent that some Nananom treat the revenue as personal incomes,” Mr Mensah emphasised.
The Regional Lands Officer stated that admittedly Article 267 clause 6(a) talked about a percentage of the revenues going to Nananom for the maintenance of the stool, in keeping with its status as the embodiment of the souls and aspirations of a community.
He, therefore, explained that the maintenance of the status of the stool did not only refer to the person or the occupant, but also the socio-economic standing of the particular community, in terms of development, failing which the chief and his subjects might have been seriously compromised.
Mr Mensah said the various assemblies had no guidelines on the use of stool revenue and consequently, the revenue was likely to be used for recurrent expenditure.
“It is my view some guidelines should be put in place for the use of stool revenue by the assemblies just as there are guidelines for the use of the District Assemblies Common Fund,” he suggested.
A Deputy Minister of Local Government, Rural Development and Environment, Mr Andrews Adjei-Yeboah, who performed the inaugural ceremony, noted with satisfaction that the government through the LAP had made great strides in the transformation of the land administration systems in the country since October, 2003.
He said there had been a consistent pursuit of the project objective of reforming the systems and structures of the land sector for the country to reap the full benefits of the available land and natural resources, reduce poverty and promote socio-economic development.
Mr Adjei-Yeboah stated that the institutional reform aimed at establishing a one-stop-shop public land sector agency was on course, adding that the new Lands Commission Bill was before Parliament.
He expressed the hope that during the last session of Parliament this year, the bill would be passed into law.
He said the preparation of the construction of a modern office complex for a one-stop-shop service in Accra was at an advanced stage.
According to the deputy minister, all the necessary consultations for the purpose of drafting a new Lands Bill, had been completed and the drafting committee had started its work.
Mr Adjei-Yeboah announced that customary landowners across the country had come to appreciate the innovations in land administration that had been introduced through the establishment of CLSs.
He said that had resulted in the receipt of many requests for assistance for the establishment of secretariats from various families, clans, stools, and traditional councils from all the 10 regions of the country.
Representatives from the three traditional areas signed a memorandum of understanding and were also presented with equipment, including motorbikes and computers for use at their respective secretariats.