The Ghana Integrity Initiative (GII), in collaboration with the Lands Commission, has organised a series of training programmes aimed at addressing corruption in the land sector and promoting transparency in land governance in the country.

Targeting about 300 young participants across the Northern, Ashanti and Western North regions, the training is expected to equip the young people with essential knowledge in land-related issues to advocate accountable land governance in their respective communities.

The initiative also seeks to raise awareness of GII's corruption reporting tools and empower the youth to actively participate in land governance, as well as contribute to the development of rural economies.

It forms part of the GII’s broader Land and Corruption in Africa Project (LCA II), which seeks to tackle corruption challenges in the land sector and establish a more transparent and equitable land administration system in Ghana.

Corruption

Speaking at one of such training programmes in Tamale, the Project Coordinator at GII, Michael H. Okai, explained that "this initiative is critical because corruption in Africa's land sector has long been a major barrier to economic development, social equity and environmental sustainability, disproportionately affecting vulnerable groups, especially the youth”.

He pointed out that land-related corruption often leads to illegal evictions, land grabbing, and unfair access to resources, adding that despite this, the youth, particularly those in rural and peri-urban areas, were often excluded from land decision-making processes, making them more vulnerable to corruption.

While emphasising the need to educate the youth on their land rights as a step toward fostering stability and land reforms in the country, he called for effective collaboration between various stakeholders to address land-related corruption. 

Due diligence

The acting Northern Regional Lands Officer, Samuel Atta Gyarteng, advised prospective land buyers to conduct thorough investigations and visit the Lands Commission to verify ownership before making purchases.

"Performing due diligence and verifying transactions with the Lands Commission is essential to avoid conflicts and ensure a smooth registration process,” he said.

He added: "In some cases, a plot of land might be demarcated as Plot 17, and later another plot, labelled Plot 17A, is created on the same land, causing further complications in registration and management.”