A 17-member Greater Accra Regional Steering Committee of the Land Administration Project II (LAP 2) was inaugurated in Accra on Tuesday to ensure the effective implementation of the Project.

The project would create a clear, coherent set of land polices and laws and facilitate a more efficient and decentralised land administration system in accordance with government guiding principles and to be compatible with the cultural norms and practices responsive to the needs of the people.

Nii Afotey Agbo, Regional Minister who inaugurated the committee chaired by Mr Oko Nikoi-Dzani, Regional Chairman Lands Commission, said the objective of the project is to consolidate and strengthen urban and rural land administration and management system for an efficient and transparent land service delivery.

He noted that in order to maximise profit, LAP II would concentrate on Greater Accra, Ashanti, Western, and Northern Regions in the area of mapping.

“One cardinal feature of the second Land Administration Project is the fact that implementation would be demand driven for most activities and designed such that all activities would be planned and executed from the regions. If mapping is included and justified under such plans, they would be honoured,” the Regional Minister said.

Nii Agbo urged members of the committees to be committed and have the sense of urgency considering the fact that land administration in Ghana is of paramount importance.

Dr I.B Karikari, National Coordinator of LAP II said the five-year project planned to begin in July 2011 to June 2015, seeks to address critical issues militating against effective land administration.

He said the project aims at consolidating the gains made under the LAP I, by deepening the reforms and enabling the land sector agencies to be more responsive to clients, cut down the time and cost of doing business.

Dr Karikari noted that with the contributions from the World Bank, Canadian International Development Agency, and the Government of Ghana, the project would strengthen the policy, legal and regulatory frameworks of land administration, decentralise and improve business and service delivery, make maps and spatial data for land administration more efficient and develop human resource as well as project management.

Mr Nikoi-Dzani, ands Commission and Chairman of the Committee said it was important for members to examine and assess the impact of their work to determine whether they were ready for the task or not.**