SECTOR MINISTER INAUGURATE 16 MEMBERS

19-08-09 SECTOR MINISTER INAUGURATE 16 MEMBERS

Narration: The Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Alhaji Collins Dauda, has inaugurated a 16-member reconstituted Upper East Regional Lands Commission at a ceremony in Bolgatanga. It was attended by a section of the public, chiefs, landowners, members of the regional lands commission, as well as other dignitaries. The Sector Minister charged staff of the commission to change their attitudes in the discharge of their duties and also commit themselves to the work ethics of the commission at all times. Here is a report filed by Isaac Asare.

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Report

The commission was inaugurated at the threshold of the implementation of one of the key reforms in the land sector which is the passage of the new lands commission Act of 2008. This commission is now responsible for all issues involved in land administration, surveying and mapping, compensation and evaluation, and registration and land management. Moreover, all these areas have been brought under a new lands commission with four divisional functions which is going to be the new structure of the commission that will provide a one-stop shop for providing land administration services. The sector minister, Alhaji Collins Dauda, who made these revelations entreated the commission to help reduce the system of bureaucracy, inefficiencies and frustrations during land registration adding that failure to do so will nullify all the reform efforts irrespective of the good intentions He also challenged staff of the commission to be up and doing by adhering to the work ethics of the commission to ensure the success of the reform. Mr. Dauda later inaugurated 16 members of the commission drawn from various districts and departments in the region. They were taken through the official oath of office and secrecy, administered by the Bolgatanga Circuit Court Judge, Justice William Boampong. The chairman of the commission, Alfred Afulani Ajene, commended the authorities for the powers bestowed on them and pledged to liaise with the Regional Coordinating Council and the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources in the formulation of policies and programmes geared towards the advancement of the region and the country in general. In a speech read on his behalf of the Upper East Regional Minister, Mark Woyongo said the reconstitution of the commission will help provide invaluable services and guidance to the public and policy makers on the issue pertaining to the regional land resources for the region’s development. He attributed the level of poverty in relations to land in the region, not only to its mismanagement, but also the nature of land policies that were pursued in the post colonial and immediate post colonial era in the Northern part of the country.

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19-08-09 SOCIAL AUDITING WORKSHOP ENDS AT BAWKU WEST

A Workshop on Social Auditing has taken place at Zebilla in the Bawku West district of the Upper East Region on the theme: “Local Participation and Social Auditing for Good Governance”. The workshop was jointly organized by the National Commission for Civic Education, (NCCE) and Action-aid Ghana, a non governmental organization operating in the country and attended by some district directors of the NCCE, heads of departments, chiefs as well as representatives of various organizations. In an address, the Acting Regional Director of the NCCE, Peter Mensah said the Social Auditing Project is which aimed at making the exercise transparent so as to remove all possible misconceptions about its objectives, adding that social auditing is basically a monitoring process that seeks to hold public officers accountable for their stewardship. In this regard, the process requires public officials to explain and justify what they have done or failed to do for public accountability since this strives for greater quality of service delivery and for an ever –increasing improvement of the functioning of the public sector. The Bawku West District Director of the NCCE, Dominic Akugri said as citizens we have the mandate to demand accountability from duty bearers but one must also be mindful that we have a duty to perform since rights goes with responsibilities. He commended the level of democracy in the country, saying citizens as well as duty bearers owe it a task to adopt new methods and approaches to social auditing process as society is dynamic.

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