A deputy minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Mr. Benito Owusu-Bio, said digitalising OASL operations was crucial in the government's quest to bring land administration to the doorstep of the people.

He said given that the OASL was an important stakeholder in the country’s socio-economic development, innovative strategies must be employed to improve its operations.

"The role of OASL in the socio-economic development of the country cannot be underestimated. This can be seen in how revenue mobilised over the years have been used by the Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) in their development activities in the form of schools, markets, community centers among others.

"Traditional authorities have also been seen to use their portion of the stool land revenue in the development within the communities like building of libraries and scholarship scheme for their subjects. All these have been made possible because of your hard work as an office" he said.

Mr. Owusu-Bio was speaking at the opening session of OASL's 24th Annual Review Conference held at the Volta Hotel, Akosombo.

The conference was held on the theme "OASL @ 25, accessing the Past, redefining the future of customary land administration."

Strategise for development

Mr. Owusu-Bio observed that if appropriate strategies were put in place, the OASL could leverage on natural resources for national development.

He said the Lands and Natural Resources ministry would implement policies that would stimulate growth in the land and natural resources sector.

For instance, he said the Lands ministry was liaising with the Ministry of Finance to get clearance for the employment of the right mix of staff to support the agencies particularly in the regions and districts.

OASL commended

Mr. Owusu-Bio commended the OASL on their 25 years service to the country in terms of administration of the stool lands.

He urged the staff and management of the OASL to delve deep and bring ideas that would improve the fortunes of the Office in the ensuing year and also intensify it's publicity on all fronts.

Again, he urged the OASL staff to sensitise the general public on their obligations to pay rent, dues, royalties and all other payments to boost revenue generation.

He said it was the expectation of the ministry that the OASL would continue to collaborate with the Lands Commission to facilitate the establishment of Customary Lands Secretariat to improve customary lands administration at the local level.

"This we believe will go a long way to minimize land related disputes and conflicts," he said.

OASL performance

The Administrator of Stool Lands, Mrs. Maame Ama Edumadze-Acquah, commended the deputy minister for supporting the OASL event.

She said the purpose of the annual conference was to assess the activities of the previous year (2021), identify shortfalls and find ways to improve them.

She disclosed that during the year 2021, the efforts of the OASL culminated in the mobilising of GH?105,677,023.09 which was about 80 per cent of their annual target.

He added that 90 per cent of that amount had been disbursed to their beneficiaries for development in the various communities and traditional areas.

She commended her staff for their support and hard work during the year under review and hoped that the discussions and decisions made at the ongoing review conference will go a long way to better the lot of the OASL in 2022 and the years ahead.