The advice was given at a news conference by the Divisional Chief of Gbetsile, Nii Teye Kojo Amanquah Sune I, who warned that his outfit will be forced to take legal action against recalcitrant persons.

“It has come to the attention of the Gbetsile Stool that several people have occupied pieces or parcels of Gbetsile Stool lands without legitimate cause. The Gbetsile Stool therefore entreats all residents of Gbetsile who have built on parcels or portions of Gbetsile Stool lands, but do not have documents from the Stool, to report to the Gbetsile Stool immediately for regularization of their interest in the lands.”

[contextly_sidebar id=”LawyQMy6hlk0AzKDPbPyxxqCyOpSIHOG”]“It must be noted that, any person or group of persons who fail to comply, would have themselves to blame when the Stool institutes a Court action against them, and there is an order for demolition of their buildings,” the Chief said at the press conference.

Dealing with land guards

On activities of land guards, the chief called on the police to intervene to bring peace to the area.

“We call on the police and the National Security to come to our aid and intensify their security patrols around the community in order to protect lives and property, and to also prosecute persons who are found culpable,” he added.

Nii Teye Kojo Amanquah Sune I, Divisional Chief of Gbetsile, also rejected claims that he is not the rightful claimant of the Stool.

According to Nii Sune I, he has been gazetted as the Divisional Chief of the area, adding that he together with the Mankrolo, Nii Teye Kojo I, have all been accepted by the National House of Chiefs.

“Nii Teye Kojo Amankwah Sune I, the Divisional Chief of Gbetsile and Nii Teye Kojo I, Gbetsile Mankralo, were duly nominated, elected, confined, installed and outdoored by the legitimate king makers and Elders of Gbetsile with the consultation of the Elders of Kpone. Their installation and outdooring ceremony was held on 26th June, 2015 at Gbetseli, and they later swore the oath of allegiance to the Kpone Paramount Chief which signifies their approval and acceptance into the Kpone Traditional state.”

“As constitution demands, the Chief and the Mankralo have respectively gone through the due process to be approved and accepted by the National House of Chiefs, and their names have been entered into the National Register of Chief, and thereby gazetted as the Divisional Chief of Gbetsile and Sub- chief (Mankralo) of Gbetsile respectively,” he added.

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By: Godwin Akweiteh Allotey/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Follow @AlloteyGodwin

The post Regularize your lands with us or blame yourself – Gbetsile Stool appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

The spectra of corruption and inequalities are very real in land allocation and management.

It is at this background that Good Governance Africa-West Africa organised a two-day workshop for selected land administrators and traditional rulers (who are deemed as the primary custodians of land) from the Western & Central Regions of Ghana, to sensitize and introduce them to current processes and procedures in land administration.

Topics treated included but not limited to accessing land information, organizational restructuring, and professional ethics, land registration procedures and processes among others.

The lead facilitator, Prof. S.O Asiama, a lecturer and land administration consultant, opined that, “poor land governance system gives birth to difficult access to land, ignorance of land policies and legal frameworks, lack of information on land transactions and prices, misallocation of land rights, incapacitation of women and vulnerable groups to participate in the land market.”

“On the other hand, should professional land administrators work diligently devoid of corruption, transparency can encourage civic engagement and stakeholders’ accountability by rendering the public decision making arena more accessible. This in turn strengthens confidence in government and public agencies, and has a positive economic impact” he noted.

In an interview, the Executive Director of GGA-West Africa, Mrs. Tina Asante-Apeatu, stressed the need for Ghana to institutionalize a professionally, tailor-made and home-designed land administrator system, which makes it easy to access credible land information.

She further stated that, good governance in land administration, pillared on transparency, will protect the property rights of individuals and enterprises, as well as of the state, by introducing principles as efficiency, effectiveness, civic engagement, fairness and impartiality, rule of law, among others in the land related public sector management.

According to her, high cost, inefficient land officers and prolonged procedures related to corrupt land registration practices, have discouraged people from registering their land and properties.

She said this further leads to under-collection of land related taxes.

GGA-West Africa is an independent and non-partisan research and advocacy organization, that works to improve government performance on the continent by strengthening institutions and building consensus through research, capacity building, sensitization programmes and orientation of the citizenry on best governance practices.
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By: citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Transparency is essential to proper land administration – GGA West Africa appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

The family suspect the Tema Regional Police Command has been influenced by some private developers who are “illegally” selling their lands since petitions to the police hierarchy to deal with named officers seem to have been ignored.

Chief of Miotso, Nene Awuley Kwame II addressing journalists on Wednesday, said in Ga, “We appeal to President Mahama to intervene by instructing the IGP to bring his men to order and effect the arrest of persons who shot and nearly killed some of my family members and are still parading in town.”

Counsel to the Numo Awuley Kwao Family, Mary Ohenewaa Afful, spoke about the 6600-acre plot at Miotso which led to clashes involving the family and land guards, allegedly hired by a private estate developer.

She also made reference to a case involving the Prapram Paramount Stool vrs Central University College, Numo Awuley Kwao and Nene Kwaku Darpoh I with suit no. AL129/2006.

The stool had argued that, the land sold to the university was a stool land, but a High Court ruled otherwise, stating that the plot in contention is a family land belonging to the Numo Awuley Kwao Family.

She also recalled another case involving Kweinor Teye Kwabla vrs. Nene Kwaku Darpoh, the Lands Commission and Numo Awuley Kwao, suit no. EI/21/2007.

The plaintiff had claimed ownership of a large tract of land at Terkpanya, which he said was acquired by his forefathers.

The 1st defendant (Nene Kwaku Darpoh), also issued a counterclaim that the land belongs to the Arden and Darpoh family of Dawhenya.

Ms. Ohenewah Afful said the court on October 27, 2011, “dismissed the plaintiff’s case entirely and the 1st defendant’s counterclaim, and ruled among many others that from the point of Central University to mile 30, that stretch of land is owned by 3rd defendant (the Numo Awuley Kwao Family)”.

It also awarded costs of GHc10, 000 against the plaintiff and GHC7,000 against the 1st defendant.

The Court of Appeal subsequently affirmed the High Court ruling on May 8, 2014 with civil appeal no. H1/220/2012.

Another case at the Supreme Court by the chief of Dawhenya, she said, was again dismissed as “unwarranted…frivolous and vexatious” on February 17, 2016 with civil appeal no. J4/38/2015.

“Thus, from all these court rulings, it is settled that the Numo Awuley Kwao Family are the legitimate title holders of all that land at Miotso, Ningo Prampram. And that, anybody claiming absolute ownership other than the Numo Awuley Kwao Family does so in clear violation of the court’s ruling and is therefore in contempt of court and at the same time, as a smack of illegality and which action has to be brought to a complete halt by the necessary criminal action.”

Illegal sale of lands

According to the counsel, “the Real Assets Company Limited too is also collaborating with the police to claim ownership of the Numo Awuley Kwao Family lands and are thus engaging in fraudulent dealings in selling the Numo Awuley Kwao Family lands without the consent and concurrence of the family.

“We have reliable information that the said estate agent has sold large portions of the said lands to innocent people and has given a chunk of such monies to some top police officials at the Tema Metropolis, who have abandoned their legal and constitutional duties to protect lives and property and ensure peace and order and also to arrest and prosecute offenders, but rather involving in these criminal acts of connivance with fraudulent estate agents portraying themselves to have legal title and ownership of the Numo Awuley Kwao Family Lands,” she remarked.

The counsel reiterated that, “We wish to use this occasion to call on the government of Ghana to instruct the IGP to call the Tema police officers to order from meddling in acts of illegalities and to ensure peace and order since the lands legally and originally belong to the Numo Awuley Kwao Family.”

She thus advised the general public to desist from buying any land at Miotso from anybody without passing through the chief, heads and elders of Numo Awuley Kwao Family.

Writ of possession

Meanwhile the Chief of Miotso said the family has initiated a process for the court to grant them a writ of possession.

Real Assets Company Limited

In a related development, the head of the Real Assets Company Limited, Yacub Adzagey, has insisted that he rightfully bought the land from the Darpoh family of Dawhenya and challenged the Numo Awuley Kwao family to go for the writ of possession.

He maintained that his checks, before buying the land, indicated that the Darpoh family were the true owners of the land in contention.

Meanwhile, Jacob Tetteh Darpoh, a member of the Darpoh family of Dawhenya, says their land covers an area of 4472 acres.

He however admitted that his family filed a counterclaim in court to get possession of over 9000 acres; but the court was able to determine that they have exceeded their boundary and was subsequently “refused”.

Nonetheless, he insisted that the portion of land sold to the Real Assets belongs to the Darpoh family.

Meanwhile the police have also denied conniving with the estate developer to deprive the Numo Awuley Kwao Family of their land.

“This is totally false and there is no basis at all,” Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCOP) Paul Awini, who is the regional commander, rejected claims that his officers are backing one of the factions.

He assured that any member of his team would be dealt with if found culpable of being influenced by any party.
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By: Ebenezer Afanyi Dadzie/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Stop private developer, Police from taking our lands – Miotso family to Gov’t appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

Fifty-nine cargo trucks loaded with goods from the ports of Ghana have been denied entry into Cote d’Ivoire, in line with the enforcement of a trade directive by the Ivorian Ministry of Finance.

Source: Graphic Online

The post 59 Trucks choke Elubo Border as law in Cote d’Ivoire restricts movement appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

A letter signed by the Head of Shipper Services at the Ghana Shippers Authority, Sylvia Asana Owu indicated that the government of the republic of La Cote D’Ivoire has begun enforcing an existing directive requiring all cargoes originating from non-ECOWAS countries and destined to La Cote D’Ivoire to be cleared only at the seaports of La Cote D’Ivoire.

The statement further said “in view of the enforcement of this directive by the Ivoirian authorities, trucks carrying cargoes destined for La Cote D’Ivoire but originating from non-ECOWAS countries and not in transit through La Cote D’Ivoire would not be allowed clearance at the land borders for entry into La Cote D’Ivoire.

The Ghana Shippers Authority has however served notice to all transit operators, freight forwarders and the shipping community to be conscious of this development as they work with the Transport Ministry and other Ivorian counterparts to find a solution to the problem.

Speaking to Citi News, Ms Owu said the directive is having adverse effects on operations.

“….you can imagine the effects this has on the country as a whole because most of the operators are Ghanaians, so certainly it is going to have an implication on operators in this country,” she explained.

By: Marian Efe Ansah/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post 56 trucks locked at Elubo border appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.