The acting Executive Secretary of the Lands Commission, Dr Wilfred K. Anim-Odame, has made a plea to government to allow it retain part of its internally-generated funds (IGF).
The commission, he says, has inadequate funds to discharge its mandate of land administration and, therefore, requires the intervention of the government.
Dr Anim-Odame made the appeal when the Parliamentary Select Committee on Lands and Natural Resources paid a working visit to the commission on July 15, 2014.
He said land service delivery was very expensive and the continuous reliance on annual budgetary support alone was inadequate to achieve an effective and efficient land administration.
He therefore urged the committee to lobby Parliament to allow the Lands Commission to retain 40 per cent of its IGF and in addition keep six per cent of non-tax revenue generated from the Stamp Duty Act.
Plans of the Commission
Dr Anim-Odame also stated that the lands commission had developed a blueprint on the re-engineering of business processes and taken steps to establish the necessary structures that would offer the public an opportunity to access the services of the commission through a one-stop-shop.
He said it had become very necessary after the merger to collapse the individual divisional operational procedures into a singular workflow for land service delivery within the Lands Commission.
“In doing so, we seek to significantly reduce the turnaround time for land title registration and other land services as well as reduce the cost of land service delivery,” he said.
“At the one-stop-shop, Ghanaians will submit their land and other related documents for processing, plan preparation, Stamp Duty and registration and receive final services from the same office without hopping from one office to another,’ he added.
Mr Anim-Odame also added that the commission was working hard to improve its corporate image and management was fully committed to a strategy that would give it a new identity.
The Select Committee
The Chairman of the Parliamentary Select Committee, Mr Amadu Seidu, stated that the committee had already taken the request to Parliament.
He said the committee was now waiting for the new Lands and Natural Resources Minister to assume office before deciding on the way forward with him.
He also assured the Lands Commission that the committee was committed to fighting for the retention of part of its IGF.
“Even if you don’t get the 40 per cent you are asking for, we will make sure you get something reasonable,” he said.
Source: Graphic Online