By John Guamah Amanor
The Technical Director for the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, Surveyor Maxwell Adu-Nsafoa, has advised the public and other stakeholders to be vigilant when indulging in land transactions to prevent the purchase of lands that have already been sold out.
Adu Nsafoa was speaking in an interview on GBC’s Uniiq Breakfast Drive.
“They have to be very vigilant when buying land because some landowners are fond of selling same land to several people. This leads to litigation of different kinds, moreover you can’t even sell land. It is leased for 24 or 99 years, etc.,” he said.
Adu Nsafoa also mentioned that, per the new Lands Acts (1036), you cannot have an absolute disposition of land in the country but for a period.
“The new Lands Acts (1036) state that you cannot have an absolute disposition of land in the country what you are entitled to is to have the land for a certain number of years say 24, 50 or 99, and this is clearly stated in the new Lands Acts,” he stated.
Adu Nsafoa advised those interested in leasing land to seek assistance from the Customary Land Secretariat. This, he said, is because the Secretariat will conduct a search to determine the rightful owner of the land and whether it is leased or not.
When this is done, according to Adu Nsafoa, it will put an end to the purchase of land that has already been sold out. Adu Nsafoa listed some Customary Land Secretariat in the country.
“We have the Asantehene Customary Land Secretariat and the Family Land Secretariat at Gbawe.”
Adu Nsafoa also urged all traditional Landowners to establish agencies that oversee activities on the leased lands.
“All traditional Landowners must have a Customary Secretariat,” he emphasised.
The Customary Land Secretariat is a regime of local land governance. Customary land institutions regulate and shape social behaviour and relationships between key actors in society. These institutions define the rules and regulations that govern land use, including accessibility and availability of land.
