Shama Traditional Authority schooled on revenue mobilization and land use Shama Traditional Authority schooled on revenue mobilization and land use

By Lawrencia Esi Annan/ Bright Ofori Asiamah, GNA

Shama (W/R), Dec. 5, GNA - The Shama District Assembly with support from Friends of the Nation (FoN) has organized a day's sensitization workshop for traditional authorities and land owners on domestic revenue mobilization and land use.

Addressing the workshop attended by traditional authorities, land owners and heads of departments, Mr Isaac Affum, Regional Director of Land Use and Spatial Planning (LUSPA), said his outfit in collaboration with NABCO would soon begin with the digital property addressing system in the various districts.

He urged all traditional authorities and land owners to avail themselves to provide the needed information to make the process a success.

Touching on the importance of the property addressing system, street naming and house numbering, Mr Affum said apart from ensuring identification, it also increased access to ambulance services and emergency health care, access to effective security service, e-commerce activities, access to financial services as well as revenue mobilization among others.

Mr Affum urged chiefs to corporate with the Assembly by providing the street names early to the Assembly adding that the names provided by the traditional authorities to be used for the street naming must be that of people who lived exemplary lives.

He urged chiefs and land owners to declare their land boundaries to the Assembly for it to be documented to avoid the resale of lands by third parties.

He said it is also important for land owners to direct companies who intend to use their lands for commercial activities such as clay mining, rubber plantation and other vast economic activities to the appropriate authorities.

The Regional Director said permitting was important and that activities such as land hoarding, cutting of steep lands and demolishing of buildings must first secure permits before undertaking such exercises.

He explained after putting up a building, there is the need for the Assembly to inspect the facility to ensure that the owners complied with all the stated rules.

Mr Atsu Norgbedzi, the Deputy Regional Stool Lands Officer, who spoke on domestic revenue mobilization, stressed the need for land owners to pay all their levies adding that such monies are used for local development.

He advised land owners to keep records of occupants of their stool lands to enable them keep track of the occupants and the activities they embark on.

Mr Norgbedzi advised that family lands be leased and not sold out so as to ensure that family lands remained within the family for generations to come.

He advised chiefs to read indentures before signing as this would enable them to know the various clauses binding the contract.

Mr Joseph Amoah, the DCE for Shama, who educated the participants on the upcoming district elections urged them to vote wisely.

GNA

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