Construction of an ultra-modern Office complex for the Central Regional office of the Lands Commission has begun in Cape Coast to improve land administration and service delivery in the region.
It formed part of the Commission’s strategic plan to construct permanent office accommodation for all the regional offices in the country in order to reduce rent payment.
The building, expected to be completed within 18 to 24 months, will house all the various departments of the Commission, currently operating at different locations in the Cape Coast metropolis.
The Chief Director of the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, Innocent Haligah, in an address before the sod-cutting for commencement of the work, explained that the new edifice would accommodate and motivate officials of the Commission, saying, “If you work in an environment that is not motivating enough, there is no urgency in rushing to your work place and if the environment is not friendly enough, you are in a hurry to go back home.”
“This particular edifice will make it possible so that even if we come to work, we will not be in a hurry to rush back home because it will be comfortable for us to work,” he added.
The location, he noted, was also important as would be accessible to almost everybody, and said the current location make it inconvenience for people to access services at the Commission.
Mr Haligah urged personnel of the Commission to refrain from interfering in the construction of the building, emphasising that, “Pass every information that you think is relevant to the appropriate communicative agency and they will do that on our behalf.”
He appealed to the contractor to engage residents of Cape Coast and catchment areas in the construction of the facility, saying, “We don’t want people to be brought from elsewhere and then our youth here will not engaged.”
For his part, the Deputy Executive Secretary of the Lands Commission, Jones Boadu, explained that per the country’s constitution, the Lands Commission was supposed to have offices in all the 16 regions, but most of the offices are operated in rented premises.
Furthermore, Management of the Commission, he mentioned, in consultation with government had embarked on a plan to build offices in all the other regions and also.
He noted that, the Commission consider the Central region as one of the key regions in terms of revenue, practice and other things, adding that, “We have already done the sod-cutting in Savanna and Upper East Regions.”
The Central Regional Lands Officer, Seth Owusu, in his remark, stated that the construction of the building would inspire personnel to give out their best in serving the community with diligence and hard work.
He indicated that the current state of the regional office was a hindrance towards ensuring efficiency among personnel.
In his remarks, the Paramount Chief of the Oguaa Traditional Area, Osaberima Kwesi Atta II, underlined that the construction of a modern edifice for the Lands Commission was long overdue.
FROM DAVID O. YARBOI-TETTEH, CAPE COAST
