Starting next year, the Lands Commission is teaming up with a private firm to launch a huge $85 million project to revolutionize land management in the state.
PBD Ltd, a local investor, will be responsible for providing the necessary capital and expertise for the duration of the five year project.
The investor will contribute to the creation of digital maps of the nation, the development of human resource capacity within the Lands Commission through education and retraining, the restructuring of the commission, and the consolidation of land record digitisation.
The Lands Commission's acting Executive Secretary Benjamin Arthur said yesterday that the plan is to get the investor to put in the money to do the intervention, so the Lands Commission can pay it back over time from the money they make.
We've gone through all the steps necessary to get an investor on board, so we're pretty close.
Mr Arthur made the statement during a visit to the Lands Commission's Client Service and Access Unit, which was hosted by the Vice-Minister of Land and Natural Resources, Benito OWUSU-Bio, who is responsible for Land and Forestry.
The visit of the Deputy Minister to the Lands Commission followed a directive from the Secor Minister to the latter to take immediate action to eliminate the sources of corruption within the state entity.
The Lands Commission of Ghana was found to be one of the most corrupt institutions in Ghana, according to a study conducted by UNODC in 2021.
The analysis of the data revealed the most prominent institutions in Ghana that accept bribes, with the Lands Commission officers taking the highest amount of bribes of any public official in the country.
The research revealed that the majority of the officials at the commission were engaged in the procurement of cash bribes, with the average size of the bribe amounting to GH₵ 1,669.
The Minister's directive necessitated the immediate replacement of all front desk personnel at the Client Service Unit with technical personnel.
Mr. Arthur emphasized that the collaboration with the investor is a comprehensive approach that will enable the establishment of a comprehensive system to eliminate activities that encourage corruption.
Mr. Arthur asserted that the implementation of digital mapping of the country was essential, as it would eliminate the practice of individual agencies creating their own maps to suit their own needs.
He stated that through the implementation of digital mapping, the Lands Commission will create a national spatial data system that will enable all relevant agencies to access the data for their own use.
He asserted that this would lead to cost savings, enhanced data quality, and increased consistency.
In order to rid the Lands Commission of its tarnished image in the public eye, it is essential to accelerate the implementation of reforms in areas such as human resources, structural and process, in order to rid the commission of the corruption associated with it.
He praised the PPP initiative as innovative and beneficial, and declared that it would provide the Commission with the resources necessary to fulfill its mission.
The Deputy Minister further emphasized that the Lands Commission should ensure that all unlawful entities involved in providing services have been eliminated.
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