Tactical advocacy and
empowerment of people in communities were identified as vital to stop the
creeping incidence of land grabbing in the country and secure community lands
for domestic agriculture.
To this end, a number of
Faith Based Groups in the country led by the Catholic Church, in collaboration
with some communities affected by land grabbing, Traditional Leaders, Civil
Society Organisations, as well as state agencies have mapped out ways to nip
the occurrence of land grabbing activities in the bud.
These were part of
outcomes of a two-day Annual Learning and Review Meeting (ALARM) on Land
Grabbing in Ghana organised on the 19th and 20th of
December at the National Catholic Secretariat (NCS) in Accra.
Very Rev. Fr. Lazarus
Anondee, Secretary General of NCS, observed that there are severe consequences
on the economic condition of communities when they lose their agricultural
lands, adding that the church will not relent in its efforts to solidarise with
communities threatened by land grabbers.
He echoed the concerns
raised by the Catholic Bishops’ in their 2016 Communique issued in Tamale, on
the subject, after Caritas Ghana’s survey on the situation in the country in
2016.
With the biting effects
of land grabbing on family life, including the stresses on marriages, Fr.
Anondee reiterated the commitment of the Church to continue speaking for the
affected families and communities for state actors to address the issue.
In
the light of the theme of the meeting: Securing
Community Lands For Domestic Agricultural Production and Food Security in the
Context of SDGs 2, Mr. Samuel Zan Akologo, Executive Secretary of Caritas
Ghana, noted that the dialogue was to demand policy attention for the issue
which is critical in the economic and livelihood condition of the rural poor.
He
noted that the dialogue also seeks to understand what avenues were available to
land owners when their interest were under threat.
The
Queen Mother of Bole Traditional, Kansawurdu Bukai, shared the unfairness in
the acquisition of large tracts of lands at Babator, in the Northern Region by
a multinational company.
Mr
John Peter Amewu, Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, in a speech read for
him, noted that the plight of peasant farmers who have lost their lands and
thrown into abject poverty as a result of land grabbing.
He
also expressed displeasure about how illegal mining ‘galamsey’ activities, was
affecting commercial agriculture, which posed great threat to food security and
water bodies.
Commenting
on the Policy dialogue, he said meeting which aimed at charting a path that
would put community interest above parochial ones and help make progress in
addressing the issue of land grabbing in the country.
Mr.
Amewu stated Government’s readiness to tackle issues confronting land grabbing
in Ghana in line with National Development Goals and the SDG’s.
He
said the Ghana Enterprise Land Information System- (GLIS) is being developed, under
the Land Administration Project II, to fully automate services rendered by the
Lands Commission to the public.
Besides,
the Minister mentioned Government’s intention to implement the Multilateral
Mining Integrated Project (MMIP) targeting ‘galamsey’ areas, to among others
things, roll-out pragmatic measures to provide alternative livelihoods, reclaim
galamsey sites and restore arable lands to boost food security.
He
noted that as part of initiatives to curb the practice of land grabbing in the
country, the Lands Commission was also developing detailed guidelines on large
scale land acquisition in the country.
Mr.
Amewu, cited a recent World Bank Report on securing land for Africa, and said the
report painted a distressing contrast between the availability of vast land
resources and extreme levels of poverty.
The
report questioned why Africa with vast arable land yet has the highest
productivity gap globally.
The
Minister commended the critical Caritas Ghana was playing to ensure the
efficient, equitable, judicious and sustainable use of land resources within
Ghana and across Africa.
He
said assured that Government would continue to collaborate with stakeholders to
muse over a suitable solution to put lands to optimum use.
A
Principal Land Administration Officer at the Land Commission, Dr. Stanislaus
Adiaba, observed that most lands in Ghana were held by traditional leaders, who
do not have adequate legal and technical know-how to deal with land grabbing.
He
said stakeholders are working on policy harmonisation and reengineering to
consolidate the merger the four land sector agencies, which includes the
establishment of Client Service Access Unit (CSAU) in Accra, Koforidua,
Sekondi, Tamale and Bolgatanga.
Among
participants were Most RevS. Joseph Osei-Bonsu and Gabriel A.A. Mante, Bishops
of Konongo Mampong and Jasikan Dioceses respectively.
