Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, the flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), has unveiled a comprehensive plan to tackle the longstanding issue of land disputes in Ghana. Key aspects of this plan include the digitization of the land tenure system and the provision of free land registration for chiefs, aimed at resolving disputes and enhancing the efficiency of the land ownership process.
While addressing the clergy in the Greater Accra Region on Tuesday June 4 at GNAT Hall, Dr. Bawumia highlighted the prohibitive cost of registration fees as a significant barrier that prevents chiefs from formalizing their land ownership, resulting in lingering disputes over land ownership and boundaries.
Dr. Bawumia stressed the importance of modernizing Ghana’s land tenure system, drawing inspiration from developed nations where land ownership records are readily available online, and emphasizing the need for a similar digital transformation to enhance transparency, efficiency, and accessibility in Ghana’s land ownership process.
“In many advanced countries, you can easily access land ownership information on your mobile phone, without having to physically visit the land registry. We aim to adopt a similar approach in Ghana, by digitizing and mapping our land records, which will help reduce land disputes stemming from unclear ownership. The issue of overlapping land claims persists, partly due to the fact that many stool lands remain unregistered. I’ve discovered that the high cost of registration fees poses a significant burden for many chiefs, making it difficult for them to formalize their land ownership. To address this, I plan to introduce free registration services for all chiefs,” he stated.