Traditional leaders of Teshie in the Greater Accra Region have issued a stern warning to the government to stop what they call the illegal expropriation of their lands.
The chiefs say the military, is claiming a parcel of land which was not part of the original portion given to them in the 1990s.
Speaking to Citi News, the Jaasetse of the Teshie stool, Nii Ashikwei Kwaobotse II, said they will hit the streets to press home their concerns.
“The military put in a request to the Lands Commission to acquire certain portions of the land that was originally not part of the acquisition and that they were going to use it for military purposes. The land is not for the military and it has not been acquired. They have just submitted the proposal. Proposals do not mean anything yet the military is going ahead with plans and drawings to expropriate the land when it has actually not acquired the land.”
“So we are mobilizing our members, and we are going to show up in our sheer numbers and that, if they don’t lay off our land, we will use the people’s power to protect and preserve our lands.”
Tackling land acquisition issues
In July 2020, Parliament passed the Land Bill – a formal legal regime to guide and regulate land acquisition and usage in the country.
The Land Bill 2019, seeks to consolidate reforms made so far in Ghana’s land sector following the implementation of the National Land Policy (NLP) in 1999.
Chairman of the Lands and Forestry Committee in Parliament, Francis Adabor said the Bill aims at addressing long-standing challenges and problems embedded in the sector as it would better define land management and acquisition.
“We have several laws, including land title laws and its registration. These laws are going to put most of them together and with a few amendments in these laws, it is going to give security of tenure to those who want to acquire land. It is going to tell the chiefs and other landowners, stools, kings, clans and families how to manage their lands, the secretariat they have to hold and keep their records. All these are spelt out in the law.”
According to the Lands Commission, the regime would revise and consolidate the laws on land by harmonizing them to ensure a sustainable land management administration system, effective land tenure and efficient surveying and mapping regimes.