Takoradi, March 1, GNA - Nana Kofi Abuna V, Chief of Essipong near Sekondi, has said land litigation and lack of planning were major setbacks to development in the Western Region. He said multiple sale of land could deprive the r egion of investors and stakeholders in land must tackle it to prevent any conflicts.

Nana Abuna said this at the launch of the first Western Region Building and Construction Exhibition (WESTBACE 2007) at Takoradi on Wednesday. It was on the theme: "Build for less" and would begin from March 28 to April 01 at the Government Secretarial School at Fijai. He said chiefs played an important role in the building and construction industry but were ignored in the land acquisition process. Nana Abuna said the use of middlemen and other unauthorized persons in the purchase of land usually accounted for such problems.

He appealed to estate developers and other stakeholders to ensure that they negotiate all land transactions with only approved people. Mr. John G. Koomson, the Western Regional head of the Business Advisory Centre (BAC) under the National Board for Small Scale Industries (NBSSI), said bamboo, coconut, less known wood species; bricks among others must be promoted in throughout the country to ease the burden of building. He said building options must be made available to the prospective builders to choose from.