SEEK ADVICE BEFORE RELEASING LAND TO INVESTORS (PAGE 20)

TRADITIONAL landowners have been entreated to be cautious and always seek expert advice before releasing lands to investors for commercial purposes in order to achieve maximum benefits from such transactions.
They have also been reminded of the devastating effects of the wanton sale of land — resulting in loss of farmlands, economic trees, natural resources and other livelihood sources.
It also facilitates privatisation of rights in land, as opposed to communal ownership system.
A consultant on land matters, M. Bakari Sadiq Nyari, gave the advice when he was speaking at a validation workshop on Biofuels Production in Ghana and Community Land Rights and Livelihoods in Tamale.
He further observed that the inappropriate disposal of land to investors could also spark conflict within communities.
“It also has the potential for destroying vocations such as fishing, contamination of water sources and destruction of biodiversity and can further increase the marginalisation of women who already use the so-called marginal lands,” Mr Nyari added.
The study was commissioned in the latter part of last year by the Civil Society Coalition on Land (CICOL), a network of civil society organisations and individuals.
CICOL was formed in 2007 and works with communities, organisations and government on land-related issues to influence land reform processes and administration at all levels in the country.
The validation workshop was to discuss the draft report of the study, share its major findings and also embark on effective advocacy work to address the shortcomings the study had identified.
Areas covered in the study were Yendi, East and Central Gonja districts in the Northern Region, Atebubu in the Brong Ahafo Region and Obuasi in the Ashanti Region.
It was also focused on plantation development of jatropha and sugarcane and the alternative livelihood programme of the Chamber of Mines in the mining communities.
The participants included officials from the Chamber of Mines, the Energy Commission, Ministry of Agriculture, biofuel companies, stool lands and some community members.
Mr Nyari further expressed concern about the lack of adequate information and involvement of the people, including chiefs, on the acquisition of land by some investors in the communities.
He cited a disparity in the size of an acquired land by a biofuel company in a recent advertisement in a newspaper.
“While the advertisement was quoting the measurement in hectares, the documents on the land were talking about acres,” Mr Nyari added.
The Chairperson of the Steering Committee of CICOL, Ms Francesca Issaka, said the organisation recognised the pivotal role that land played in poverty reduction and sustainable national development.
“We know from the many years of work we have done with communities that insecurity of land tenure contributes greatly to the decline in agricultural productivity and a growing difficulty in meeting basic livelihood needs by many in both rural and urban areas,” she stated.
Ms Issaka expressed appreciation to their collaborators who supported the establishment, growth and development of the organisation and pledged the association’s commitment to live up to expectation.