The lack of knowledge on land acquisition process and legalย framework in Ghana is causing some communities to lose their lands, income andย source of livelihoods to multinationals and property developers.
This is contained in the findings of a study launched in Accra by Caritas Ghana inย conjunction with the Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa (AFSA) on fourย rural communities, where lands were allocated mainly on family basis.
The study found that it was only the Subinso community in the Eastern regionย where 67 per cent members had knowledge about statutory agencies, existingย legal frameworks and processes for the acquisition of land in Ghana.
In Tanchara in the Upper East Region, 73 per cent had no knowledge about theย statutory agencies, existing legal frameworks and processes governing theย acquisition of land.
Also, 65 per cent community members of Babator (Savannah region), and 67 perย cent community members of Breweniase (Oti region) said that they had no knowledge about theย transfers of the lands, which they often leased for decades.
Sharing the ordeal of farmers and other landowners from Breweniase with theย Ghana News Agency, Mr Johannes Kofibi, a community member, said: โWeโve dug our own graves andย signed our death warrants.โ
He said in 2008, they leased about 3,715 acres of land to a multinationalย company for 50 years, which offered the landowners US$5 per year.
Mr Kofibi said the situation (losing lands to multinationals) sometimes pushed some young ladies toย migrate to city centres, including Accra, where they allegedly engaged in prostitution, whileย the young men resort to menial jobs and at times, social vices for survival.
A landowner from Babator also told the GNA that they started experiencing disputesย in 2014 after leasing 5,000 acres of land for 50 years to a company, ledย by chiefs in the community, without understanding the contract.
Dr Patrick Tandoh-Offin, a Rural Development expert and Lead for the study,ย reiterated the issues of land grabbing and forceful acquisition of large parcels ofย land by some transnational corporations, individuals, and the State.
The situation, he said, made it difficult particularly for the youth and women inย Subinso, Tanchara, Babator and Breweniase to have access to lands needed forย farming and other economic activities.
He said coupled with that was the expensive nature of land documentation, which was discouraging poor landowners from registering their lands.
In all the communities, landowners often relied on chiefs and community levelย intermediaries to have access to land and landed properties.
That resulted in disputes among landowners and local stakeholders or traditionalย authorities, with issues of double sale of lands and ownership.
Tandoh-Offin recommended that the National Commission for Civic Educationย (NCCE), Lands Commission, the media and other stakeholders intensified educationย and sensitisation efforts on the protocols and legal procedures for landย acquisition.
He also called for a unified computerised system for land management with aย verifiable data repository for land purchase fed into an informationย system that would be verified and certified by a third party.
Mr Hope Boye Agbah, a Land Adminstration Officer at the Ministry of Lands andย Natural Resources, said in collaboration with the Lands Commission, his outfit had come up withย guidelines on large scale acquisition of lands.
He explained that because people had little or no knowledge about the acquisitionย of such lands, it displaced community members and robbed them of theirย livelihoods prior.
โWeโre in the process of disseminating information about the passage of the newย Land Act 2020 (Act 1036), which would help resolve such land acquisitionย issues,โ he said.
In her remarks, Regina Ignatia Aflah, Chairperson of Caritas Ghana, said theย report demonstrated the collective power of faith and non-faith actors in workingย together to address the issues of land rights, acquisition and food sovereignty.
โWe believe this report is a valuable addition to existing body of knowledge, andย will help strengthen CSOs dialogue and actions to strive for equitable land accessย and food sovereignty,โ she said.