Seek professional advice before acquiring lands
The President of the Ghana Institute of Surveyors (GhIS), Mr James Ebenezer Kobina Dadson, has stressed the need for land developers to seek professional advice before acquiring land, to avoid future challenges.
Procedures
According to him, there were procedures to be followed to acquire security ownership of a piece of land. These included permits from the various district assemblies who have administrative jurisdiction over the area the land was located and a thorough search to generate authority of the land one intended to acquire at the Lands Commission.
“Failure to establish the ownership status of the seller before proceeding to acquire the land and obtain the necessary development or building permits may lead to terrible consequences,” he said.
Mr Dadson was speaking at a press conference to launch the ninth Surveyors Week and 45th Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Accra.
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The annual surveyors week celebration is aimed at showcasing the functions of the GhIS and its services to the general public.
The theme for the celebration is: “Good Governance for Effective Development.”
Good governance
Mr Dadson said sustainable development could not be achieved without following the principles of good governance.
Principles of good governance, he explained, required that decision making and implementation were transparent, based on the rule of law and fairness among others.
However, he stressed the need for a collaborative effort by all stakeholders to achieve good governance in the country.
GhIS adr centre
Mr Dadson said the GhIS was establishing an Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Centre to focus on the settlement of land disputes among individuals, private and public stakeholders using ADR mechanisms.
Commenting on the TDC demolition exercise at Adjei Kojo, the president said it was necessary for state agencies to take proactive measures to prevent illegal development on their lands. He added that the cost of dealing with encroachments was high, therefore, efforts should be made to prevent encroachment on state lands.
