Accra, July 31, GNA - The Ministry of Lands, Forestry and Mines on Thursday presented five laptop computers and five printers with accessories worth 12,000 Ghana cedis to the Judicial Service as part of the Land Administration Project of the Service's reform programme. This is the second time that Ministry has donated similar items to the Service.

Mrs Esther Obeng Dapaah, Minister of Lands, Forestry and Mines, who made the presentation, said issues of land and its administration, had become critical factors in the nation's development explaining that this had compelled government to undertake the Land Administration Project. However, she said, it was unfortunate that the country's land tenure system had had been beset with a numerous problems such as the delay in the administration of land justice.

Mrs Dapaah explained that the under the Land Administration Project, various innovations had been introduced to lay foundation for the establishment of a self-sustaining land administration system that was fair, efficient, transparent, cost effective as well as to guarantee security of tenure.

The Minister said her Ministry appreciated the efforts made by the Judiciary to solve problems associated with justice delivery, particularly those relating land.

"I hope this gesture will go a long way to assist judges who are handling land cases in their work. We hope to extend this gesture to other judges in future," the Minister added. The Chief Justice, Mrs Georgina T. Wood, who received the items, recounted the alarming spate of litigation arising out of land matters indicating that a large number of the cases pending in country's court were land-related.

She noted that the judiciary was progressing in its reform programmes pointing at the establishment of automated specialised courts and the application of modern technologies. "These laptops will be invaluable in helping with the speedy adjudication of land matters as the judges will now be armed with a mobile work took and can therefore work from anywhere they find themselves."

She said five High Courts judges had for the past two months been assigned to help clear the backlog of cases. In addition, the Chief Justice said five out of eight courts which were due to be completed would be allotted to deal with land cases. "Of these five courts, two will be reserved solely for investment-related land matters," she explained.

The Chief Justice and other Superior Court Judges took the Minister and officials of the Land Administration Project to tour the land courts. 31 July 08