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By
Iddi Yire, RNG
Accra, July 7, GNA – Ghana Integrity
Initiative (GII), the local chapter of Transparency International (TI) has
reiterated that corruption repressed the voices of people living on the land
decision making.
Mr. Michael H. Okai, project coordinator,
GII, corruption distorts benefits arising from land tenure practices in
favor of a few.
He said when corruption makes up the kind
bias in existing land practices, the results have been extremely toxic.
Mr. Okai made those comments in his speech.
presentation in Accra at a multi-stakeholder forum organized by the GII
under the theme: "Role of civil society in discourse on the earth".
It will be remembered that since June 2015,
TI and its national sections in seven countries in sub-Saharan Africa; Ghana,
Kenya, Zimbabwe, Madagascar, Cameroon, South Africa and Uganda have been
contribution to the German Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development
The One World Special Initiative – No Hunger (BMZ) as part of its work on The Land
and corruption in Africa (LCA).
The LCA project aims to improve livelihoods
for men and women adversely affected by corrupt practices on land
administration and land tenure arrangements in Africa, through security of tenure and
fair and equitable access to land in rural, peri-urban and urban areas.
The bill, which was introduced for the first time in
Parliament in 2018, but was later withdrawn, would again be tabled before the
House this year.
It seeks to consolidate and harmonize in a
in simplified form, about 166 existing land laws, to regulate land use
and improve the effectiveness of land management in the country.
Okai said corruption weakens land tenure
security and exposes land users to an increased likelihood of arbitrariness
displacement, often without any compensation or appropriate compensation; adding that
corruption increases transaction costs when trying to document its
land rights.
Mr. Okai, who gave an overview of the ACL
project, said that Ghana was mainly agrarian and that the land was a
indispensable badet.
He said that they could support more than 1,200
community members via ALAC to seek compensation and recovery more
Compensation of € 225,400.00 retained
Others include data addition and
research on women, land and corruption; – Three basic researches were
made and using participatory video to help widows tell their story
– Customary practices, land rights.
There was the rest of the empowered citizens across
Community Land Clinics, Radio Awareness Programs, Land for a and engagement
with young people – Fora of land.
On the way forward, Mr. Okai recommended to
initiate land administration clinics / ALAC to provide outlets
affected people can receive support and improve public oversight
sectoral agencies.
The current project ending in December
2019, has successfully contributed to increased awareness of the land rights of
citizens, empowered and given voice to marginalized groups, including widows
and set up a complaints settlement mechanism and reporting platforms for corruption
for victims and witnesses of corruption.
Corruption in land governance is commonly
defined as the abuse of power entrusted for personal gain in the performance of duties
administration and land management functions.
The Forum, which brought together
stakeholders such as parliamentarians, policy makers, civil society,
Commission, the traditional leaders, the women's group and the media requested
clarifications and discuss the current state of the draft land law, how to improve
dialogue on land sector reforms and building partnerships and strategies for land
advocacy of the sector.
GNA
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