At a workshop in Accra intended to provide citizens with legal understanding concerning land disputes, it was discovered that land conflicts account for around 90 per cent of all cases heard in Ghanaian courts.

This is due to a deficiency in legal acumen among the Ghanaian populace. To lower the rate of land conflicts in Ghana, citizens were provided with vital knowledge in areas such as tenancy agreements, will preparation, and land transactions, among other topics.

Managing Counsel Member at Legal Link, Akua Pokuaa Kwarteng, underlined the significance of promoting legal awareness among Ghanaians in order to avert simple land conflicts and reduce court workload.

According to Madam Kwarteng, “We will be educating the people here on wills, intestate succession laws, and then also on the New Land Act because you realise that there are a lot of land disputes, particularly in Accra, and sometimes some of these issues arise because we don’t know what the provisions of the laws are.”

The Municipal Chief Executive for the La Dadekotopon Municipal Assembly, Solomon Niikoi Kotey, emphasised the importance of teaching the public about legal matters so that people can better comprehend the law.

Mr Kotey added “Land transactions and other few issues, tenancy, landlord-tenant relationship - these are legal issues that I think when we are able to educate the public, it will go a long way to help them.”

Kamil Mohammed Iddrisu further stated “The need to make a will and also to be concerned about land transactions given that there’s now a new land act that has been passed by parliament.

"So we felt that it is important for people to appreciate that  the law makes room for everyone who has properties and who is above 18 years to make a will to decide who he wants to give properties to after his death.”

Some attendees expressed satisfaction with their participation in the forum. One person remarked, “We’ve learned a lot. We’ve also had much insight about the law and what it is, so of course it has been a fruitful day.”

“It was very beneficial because there are a lot of things that we don’t know. Sometimes you do something, and then later we get to know that we are wrong,” said another participant.

This workshop marks a significant step towards fostering a legally literate society where individuals can confidently navigate complex legal terrain to address challenges.