The Vice President of the Republic, H.E. Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, has called for the speedy automation of the activities of the Lands Commission, to make land title service delivery more efficient.
Giving the Keynote Address at a Land Administration Forum in Accra on Wednesday February 28, 2018, the Vice President called on the private sector to partner government to make the ongoing efforts to automate a reality.
“Government fully supports efforts already underway in digitizing land administration processes. This will increase information accessibility and coordination between all stakeholders. Automating the processes requires the contribution and support of the private sector and we must work towards forging and enhancing such partnerships” Dr Bawumia stated.
“The days of manual land administration processes are over”, the Vice President declared, “and Ghana cannot be left behind. We have started a pilot project with the implementation of the Ghana Enterprise Land Information System (GELIS) and the Land Use Planning Management Information System (LUPMIS). But with all the investments made, only 10% of the legacy data at the Lands Commission has so far been digitized. This is unacceptable. Surely, we can do better. What role can the private sector play in moving forward in this digitized environment?”
Land Administration in Ghana has over the years seen some interventions, including Phases I and II of the Land Administration Project, but these have had little impact on land title registration and on the turnaround time for service delivery. Analysts say a number of significant challenges exist that mar the efficiency of the land administration system in the country.
Alluding to the widely acknowledged equity vested in land, Dr Bawumia argued that leaving the land management system to remain in its current chaotic state would be inimical to the Akufo-Addo Government’s desire to move Ghana beyond aid, and informs the decision to digitise land title registration.
“There is capital value in land. Let us create a transparent and progressive market for land. Let us securitize it to create wealth. We call on the efforts of all stakeholders to make this happen” Dr Bawumia urged the participants at the Forum.
“Effective and efficient land administration is a collective effort. And we as a government reiterate our commitment to achieving total development of our country through the efficient use of one of our fundamental inputs to all socio-economic activities, land resources.”
Vice President Bawumia emphasized the Akufo-Addo government’s belief in the digitization of Ghana’s governance processes, evidenced in the soon-to-be launched national identification system, the digital address system, introduction of paperless systems at the ports, innovations in business registry and the issuing of driving licenses and vehicle registration on a digital platform.
“We believe in reducing unnecessary delays and bottlenecks that make our governance systems inefficient, slow, burdensome and fertile grounds for corruption. We must reduce the transactions costs for individuals and businesses in every aspect of their daily lives and in doing their businesses.”
