A 14-member Savannah Regional Lands Commission Committee chaired by Dr. Adams Sulemana Achanso, of the University for Development Studies (UDS), has been inaugurated by the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Samuel Abu Jinapor.

The Committee was inaugurated in Damongo and has its membership as prescribed by the 1992 Constitution. It is made up of representatives of selected Professional Groups, Traditional Leaders and Local Authorities from all Seven Districts in the region.

The Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Samuel Abu Jinapor as part of his inaugural speech said no stakeholder in the area of development can underestimate the critical role lands play in the entire human set-ups, and government has identified and attached much importance to its proper management.

He said a very important natural resource like Land is a catalyst for the socio-economic development of every nation, if given the needed attention.

"But if not well managed, it can lead to conflicts and disasters. It is for this reason that the Constitution established the Lands Commission and the Regional Lands Commissions to see to the efficient management and utilisation of Lands in our Country," the Minister noted.

Being the largest region in Ghana in terms of Land size, " we have a great opportunity to leverage on this resource to accelerate socio-economic development in the Region.

How we do this, however, depends largely on the Regional Commission, who are mandated by article 260(1) of our National Constitution, to perform the functions of Lands Commission in this Region", Mr. Samuel Abu Jinapor explained.

According to him, " the diverse expertise that the Constitution requires to form the membership of the Regional Commissions is a clear indication of the importance the framers of the Constitution attached to Land administration and management".

"The Land Act, 2020 (Act 1036) has paved the way for us to implement effective land administration and management. The Ministry of Land and Natural Resources and the Lands Commission have commenced an awareness creation and sensitization of this new law to ensure that all stakeholders understand and appreciate the requirements of the law", he indicated.

He said available records from Northern Region Lands Commission revealed that, prior to the creation of the Savannah Region, very few people from the Region registered their Lands with the Commission.

Mr. Jinapor added, " it is my hope that Regional Lands Commission will lead the education on the Land Act in this Region, to ensure, among others, that deeds are registered as mandated by the law".

On digitization, the Executive Secretary of Lands Commission, Alhaji Sulemana Mahama, stated that, as a new Region, it will be proper for the Commission to start on a good note devoid of all the challenges in the administration in the other Regions.

" For that reason, you will be starting on a digital basis. We are going to have digital records migrated to start with".

Alhaji Sulemana Mahama on opening up development in the Regional Capital and the Region as a whole, said, "Damongo is a Regional Capital. We will want it to grow and be a different Damongo from what we saw as a traditional capital.

For that matter, we will need to create a satellite city on a modern basis and we will soon be acquiring Land out of about 2,000 acres to start this new settlement and we'll need you to guide us in this acquisition", he indicated.