Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Samuel Abu Jinapor has revealed that land administration in the Ashanti Region is largely hassle-free.
He subsequently defended the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II over recent comments about the new Land Act.
“Otumfuo did not say the sections of that Act does not apply to Asanteman. He didn’t say so,” Jinapor said in an interview with Joy News.
“I agree with him totally because the places where I have the least trouble in terms of lands administration is Asanteman, Ashanti Region because the lands are properly managed and the proceeds that come out of the sale of land are accountable,” he added.
Earlier this month, the Asantehene was reported to have publicly kicked against portions of the Lands Act, 2020 (Act 1036) which gives the subjects of chiefs the power to haul the traditional rulers before a court to demand accountability on proceeds from land sales.
He stated his position during a meeting between the Ashanti Regional House of Chiefs and the sector Ministry, justifying his opposition to the said portions specifically with land administration dynamics in the Ashanti Kingdom.
Jinapor in explaining Otumfuo’s position on the issue added in the interview: “I explained that first of all when you read the Act as a whole, the Act defines who can mount an action first of all.
“Number two the Act also enjoins anybody who wants to go to court to exhaust the internal customary procedures before you can go to court and when it got to Otumfuo’s turn, Otumfuo said look my Chiefs don’t be too worried about this provision because it doesn’t particularly apply in Asanteman because here we account properly for the proceeds of our land administration so the issue of invoking that provision will not even arise in the first place,” he said.