Mr. Kweku Asomah-Cheremeh,Minister of Lands and Natural Resources
The Omanhene of Japekrom Traditional area in the Jaman-South District of the Brong-Ahafo Region, Okatakyie Amoa Aturu Nkonkonkyia II, has rejected assertion that traditional authorities are to be blamed for the unending galamsey menace in the country.
According to him, while the law enforcement agencies such as the judiciary and security agencies appear weak in their responsibilities in enforcing the laws of the country, traditional authorities on the other hand cannot take the blame for the situation.
“If a Chinese miner flies into the country, passed through immigration check point, moves his excavator to a community why should a chief be blamed for galamsey (illegal mining) activities?” he queried.
Okatakyie Amoa Nkonkonkyia was speaking yesterday at a regional multi-stakeholder land forum dialogue at Dumasua in the Sunyani-West District of the Brong Ahafo Region.
The forum which was organised by the Ghana Integrity Initiative dubbed “Integrity, Mobilisation, Participation, Accountability, Anti-Corruption and Transparency” (IMPACT), is a four-year large scale multi-country and multi-annual programme being coordinated in twelve countries by the Transparency International, with funding from the Global Alliance.
It is aimed at contributing to the fight against corruption by increasing integrity, transparency and accountability of Public Institutions, while empowering civil society organisations to advocate changes in policy and practice, including better enforcement of anti-corruption legislations policies and practices.
The forum attracted people in the land sector, traditional authorities, NGOs among others.
Alhaji Mohammed Abibu Alhassan, Brong-Ahafo Regional Lands Officer of the Lands Commission on his part noted that successes chalked up by the land administration project implemented since 2004 had not been encouraging.
He said multiple land sales, encroachment, use of unapproved developed schemes and compulsory acquisition of large tracts of land by the government, to mention but a few, were some of the teething problems confronting the land sector.
FROM DANIEL DZIRASAH, DUMASUA
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