The Minister of Lands and Natural Resources and Member of Parliament (MP) for the Damongo Constituency Hon Samuel Abu Jinapor has on 26th July, 2021 inaugurated a 14 member committee to steer the affairs of the Land commission in the Savannah Region for next four years.
Delivery a speech during the inauguration of the committee in the Savannah Regional capital of Damongo, the Hon Abu Jinapor
appealed to the Chiefs and people of the Savannah region to assist the members of Lands Commission committee to realise the importance of the vast land in the area.
He added said; “land as we all know, is a very important natural resource. It is the catalyst for socio-economic development in every nation but if not well managed can lead to conflicts and disasters. It is for this reason that the constitution established the Lands Commission and the Regional Lands Commissions to see to the efficient management and utilization of land in our country”.
He added that the Savannah region is blessed with a large tract of this natural resources, making it the largest of the 16 regions in Ghana in terms of land size and has a great opportunity to leverage on this resource to accelerate socio-economic development in the region.
“How we do this however, depends largely on the Regional Lands Commission, who are mandated by article 260(1) of our national constitution, to perform the functions of the Lands Commission in this region”, Hon Jinapor explained.
The Minister of Lands and Natural Resources appealed to the committee not to renege on their duty to protect and manage the public lands on behalf of government.
“As a young region, government will require land for critical infrastructure, necessary for the proper functioning of the region. You must do your utmost best, to manage these lands in a manner that serves the best interest of the community to assuage the pain of the real owners of such lands”, he added.
Hon Abu Jinapor disclosed that the Northern Regional Lands Commission records shows that prior to the creation of the Savannah region, very few people from the Savannah region registered their deeds with the Commission and said; “It is my hope that the Regional Lands Commission will lead the education on the land Act in this region, to ensure, among others, that deeds are registered as mandated by the law”.
Hon.Abu Jinapor said the membership of the Regional Lands Commission has been carefully circumscribed by the framers of our constitution.
He said apart from the Chairperson who is appointed by the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, the other members are drawn from professional groups, traditional leaders and local authorities.
He said the representatives of these groups are nominated by the groups themselves and appealed to the committee to bring their expertise on board to manage the administration in the Savannah region better.
“As you assume office, I will urge you, to bring on board your expertise and experiences, to make the administration of land in this region better Thankfully, I have appointed an experienced academic, Dr Alhaji Adams Sulemana Achanso, to chair the Savannah regional Lands Commission and it is my fervent hope that he will provide the needed leadership to steer the affairs of the commission”; he added
The 14 member committee is chaired by Dr. Alhaji Adams Sulemana Achanso, a Lecturer at the University for Development Studies. Other members of the committee include Noel Tuotir, the Regional Lands Director, Takora Saaka from the Land Use and Spatial Planning Authority, (LUSPA), Mbonwura Jimah Awudu from the Association of Farmers and Fishermen, Salia Abdul Kudus (Esq) from the Ghana Bar Association and Charles Okyere Kwapong from Ghana Institute of Surveyors and Chief Kikpandewura Kanyiti II Mumuni Shaibu from the Savannah Regional House of Chiefs.
There are also seven representatives from tha various Municipal and District Assemblies from the Savannah Region.
The 14 Member committee was sworn into office by a supervisory High Court judge, Justice Richard Mark.
Alhaji Daud Sulemana Mahama, Executive Secretary of the Lands Commission, said there is huge work to be done by the regional office and disclosed that the commission will soon acquire 2,000 acres of land to initiate the satellite city process for Damongo and it’s environs.
He cautioned that Land Commission is not a place to make money but to work harder to put things in order for the benefit of all in the Savannah region.
The Chairman of the inaugurated Savannah Regional Lands Commission, Dr Alhaji Adams Achanso speaking on behalf the Commission expressed a gratitude to the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources Minister and government for the confidence repose in them.
He said; “on behalf of my colleagues and om my own behalf, I wish to express gratitude to the Hon Minister of Lands and Natural Resources and the MP for Damongo for the confidence reposed in us by appointing us as the very first members of the Savannah Regional Lands Commission”.
Source: nkilgifmonline.com
