Tamale (Northern Region) 24 March ’99
Cabinet is considering a national land policy aimed at streamlining land use and management and guarding against land disputes. As part of the policy, the Lands Commission is documenting national boundaries as well as all paramount and divisional areas and preparing digital maps of state lands to avoid encroachment. Mr Alhassan Sumaila, a member of the commission made this known to the GNA in Tamale on Tuesday. He said without a land policy, “it will be difficult for government to woo investors or carry out any meaningful development”. Government would create land banks for investments, he said, adding that compensation would be paid to communities whose lands are acquired by the state. Mr Sumaila said the programme is not to make chiefs and custodians of land, landless and asked them to disabused their minds of that notion. He said a number of chiefs have received approval by the Lands Commission for the release of state lands to them but warned against the tendency of selling “any land earmarked for development”. The commission is also considering a number of applications by members of the public for land leases and consent. Mr Sumaila appealed to the Ministry of Defence to release part of its vast undeveloped lands in the Tamale municipality for development. He said the lands, which are centrally placed, are hampering the development plans of government to give the municipality a face- lift to befit its status.
