The Ghana Integrity Initiative has led a policy dialogue on the formulation of guidelines for the allocation of public lands in Ghana.
The dialogue, which had stakeholders in the land sector in the country, including traditional leaders, peasant farmers and political parties present, was held on Tuesday, May 14, 2024 in Accra.
The policy dialogue, which had a panel discussion, touched on the current challenges, opportunities and stakeholders’ perspectives and concerns in the sector.
Among the various challenges and concerns raised by participants, was the lack of information sharing between the government, the public and traditional authorities in land allocation.
The compulsory acquisition of land by the state without paying compensation was up for discussion.
They also discussed publication of lands that the state intends to allocate for development.
Participants also indicated that the state, which holds 20% of the land, allocates portions for development without considering some factors, including food security and can destroy a vegetable farm, for instance, for other developmental projects.
RECOMMENDATION
Following the panel discussion and the open forum, there was a recommendation that the policy guidelines being formulated must tackle the issue of land grabbing by politicians, who have or are close to power.
Further, it was recommended that if the state intends to acquire land from traditional authorities, including queen mothers, there should be enough information about the use of the land and proper documentation on the terms for the sake of future generations.
The dialogue yesterday also recommended collaboration between stakeholders in the land sector, especially those bereft of technical knowledge.
The former minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Inusah Fusieni, reiterated the recommendation that compensation for lands acquired by the state must be factored into the new policy.
The Head of Regional Operations Unit at the Lands Commission, Mr. Rapheal Hokey, thanked participants for their feedback, adding that “it will help us at the Lands Commission.”
PRESENTATION
A PowerPoint presentation by Dr. Stan Adiaba, UPSA, on the significance of transparent guidelines in public land allocation in Ghana set the tone for the panel discussion and the open forum.
His presentation comprehensively examined the landscape of public land allocation in Ghana, identified some loopholes and then made some recommendations.
He found out that there was a lack of information on what public land was available and its location.
He also identified, among others, that there was weak statistical information on allocated public lands and corresponding revenue to the state.
He recommended that there should be an initial inventory of public lands for the managers and the public to have adequate knowledge about the quality and quantity of the public lands available.
He also said that if people are relocated for a particular land to be redeveloped, the redevelopment must be done and not leave the land bare years after moving the occupants from the said land.
NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
In an interview after his presentation, Dr. Adiaba said his presentation was to do a review of what was the best practice in developing guidelines for public land allocation.
He relied on the draft land policy guidelines at the Lands Commission, which are in the offing and advocated that the Commission subject the document to broader stakeholder engagement and allow for inputs to be made.
Commenting on what an ideal guideline on land allocation should be, Dr. Adiaba suggested that such a guideline should be tied to the national development agenda.
It should flow with the directive principle of state policy and the objectives must be clear,” he added.
In a welcome address, Benedict Doh, Head of Finance Department at the GII, said stakeholders had gathered to address “the sustainable management and equitable allocation of public land.”
He said that the GII was committed to facilitating a structured policy dialogue to address the challenges of misallocation and the vulnerability of the land allocation process to corruption, among others.
“Our aim is to foster inclusivity and collaboration, ensuring that the voices of all stakeholders are heard and their concerns addressed in a transparent and impartial manner,” he stated.
