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National House of Chiefs rejects CRC recommendations to merge Office of the Land Administrator with Lands Commission
The National House of Chiefs has rejected the Constitutional Review Committee (CRC) recommendation to merge the Office of the Administrator of Stool Lands (OASL) with the Lands Commission.
The House said it maintains that the OASL, which currently operates as a separate and independent constitutional body should remain as such under the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources.
In a statement issued in Accra and copied The Ghaianan Times, the House explained that the creation of OASL as an independent constitutional body was the request by the member Chiefs on the Consultative Assembly prior to the passage of the 1992 Constitution because of the poor management and handling of stool land revenue under the then Lands Commission.
The House stated that the OASL was created to manage stool land revenue efficiently; to generate income from sources such as rent, royalties, and concessions. The office was created to collect and manage this revenue efficiently.
Others include promoting transparency and accountability.
It said before the creation of OASL, the handling of stool land revenue was often uncoordinated and lacked proper accountability.
However, it noted that the office has since helped to ensure proper record-keeping and transparency.
The House emphasised that the OASL was established under Article 267 (2) of the 1992 Constitution of Ghana and of the firm belief that the recommendations from the CRC will not inure to the benefit of the chieftaincy institution.
The house said it reasons were that the OASL was created for Chiefs and since its establishment, the Office has discharged its functions creditably.
It said chiefs had always wanted their funds managed separately for the benefit of both traditional authorities and local development.
It explained that the recommendations of CRC defeats the purpose for the establishment of OASL as a distinct agency with the sole focus on supporting and assisting Stool and Skin lands administration.
Thus, it said, the OASL was not created merely for revenue collection but to help in the management of stool lands as captured in memorandum to the 1992 Constitution and contained at article 267 (7) & (8);l.
It said the proposed merger will relegate issues of stool and skin lands to the background.
That the OASL helps with the establishment of Customary Land Secretariats (CLSs), and provides land administration advisory services to the chiefs.
Furthermor National House of Chief said it observed that Lands Commission is currently bedevilled with numerous court litigations with a tall list of garnishee orders on their bank accounts which will put stool land revenue at risk.
That Chiefs are skeptical about mixing stool land management with state land management.
Therefore, merging the OASL with the Lands Commission will increase the bureaucratic processes needed for beneficiaries to access funds.
It said the assumption that the OASL and Lands Commission need to merge to make them efficient because the two agencies are operating in silos is not tenable, because the Section 14 of the Land Act, 2020 (Act 1036) article 267(7)(8) of the Constitution and section 7(1)(2) of the Lands Commission Act, 2008 (Act,767) requires the Lands Commission and the OASL to collaborate on customary land administration.
Again, the House found that, Lands Commission has not been able to properly manage state and vested lands under their care and observed how state land management by the Lands Commission has generated a lot of controversies in the recent years, which is just about 15 to 20% of the total land area of Ghana.
In addition, it observed t Lands Commission is not able to manage the 2% of vested lands under its care properly.
It said it takes a long time for Lands Commission to release ground rent from vested lands to the OASL for disbursement to the stools and there are no proper records on vested lands revenue.
The House said it also observed that the merger of the four land sector agencies in 2008 under the new Lands Commission Act, 2008 (Act 767) has not yielded expected results in the management of public lands, registration and land surveying in the country.
The merger of these four land sector agencies has rather worsened challenges that led to the merger. The House observed that, before the merger of the four divisions, then Land Valuation Board was operational in many districts across the country bringing services close to their clients, but the district offices have since closed.
BY MALIK SULLEMANA
A Professor at the University of Ghana Medical School, Prof. Vincent Boima, has called for a major shift in the treatment and prevention of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in Ghana and across Africa, warning that the continent cannot rely on dialysis alone to manage the growing health burden.
Delivering his inaugural lecture at the university’s Great Hall on Thursday, Prof. Boima stated that chronic kidney disease was more common in Africa than in many high income countries, with most patients seeking treatment only when the disease had reached advanced stages.
Speaking on the theme, “From Genes to Mind: Holistic Pathways to Precision Kidney Care for Africa,” he explained that hypertension and diabetes remained the leading causes of kidney disease in Ghana, where many younger and economically active people were being affected.
According to him, the high cost of dialysis, limited transplant facilities and unequal access to treatment raised concerns about whether many cases of kidney failure could have been prevented through earlier interventions.
Prof. Boima proposed what he described as the “Genes–Mind–Community” model, which combines genetics, mental health and community based healthcare approaches to improve kidney care in Africa.
He explained that the “Genes” pillar focused on understanding the role genetics played in kidney disease among Africans, particularly the APOL1 risk variants common in West Africa.
The professor noted that studies in Ghana and other West African countries had shown that many people carried high risk APOL1 genes, which increased the chances of developing non diabetic kidney disease when combined with factors such as infections, hypertension and environmental pollution.
However, he cautioned that genetic information should be used responsibly and ethically, stressing that it should improve treatment decisions without increasing stigma or inequality.
Prof. Boima therefore called for more African led research into kidney disease genetics, affordable testing methods for early detection and stronger health systems to prepare for future gene targeted treatments.
On mental health, he indicated that psychological wellbeing was an important part of kidney care because many patients with hypertension, chronic kidney disease and those on dialysis experienced depression, anxiety and emotional distress.
He explained that financial difficulties, irregular access to medication and weak follow up systems often worsened the mental health burden on patients, affecting their ability to continue treatment.
To address the problem, he proposed routine mental health screening in hypertension and kidney clinics, together with culturally sensitive counselling and support systems.
Prof. Boima stressed that psychological care should become part of chronic disease management rather than being treated as optional.
Touching on the “Community” pillar, he stated that prevention remained the most effective and affordable strategy for reducing kidney failure, stroke and heart disease in Africa.
He disclosed that community studies in Ghana had shown that large scale blood pressure screening programmes could identify many people living with undiagnosed hypertension.
Despite this, he pointed out that many patients struggled to continue treatment because of transport costs, long hospital waiting times, expensive medication and inadequate financial support.
Prof. Boima proposed decentralising healthcare through community based services and primary healthcare centres, while also empowering nurses, pharmacists and other non physician health workers to assist with prevention and treatment.
He further recommended the use of simple technologies such as text message reminders to help patients take medication, reduce salt intake, exercise regularly and attend medical appointments.
The nephrologist also encouraged the use of family and faith based support systems to improve treatment adherence and continuity of care.
Speaking on the state of kidney treatment in Ghana, Prof. Boima explained that dialysis remained the main form of kidney replacement therapy in the country, although treatment was expensive and available mainly in a few locations.
He observed that many patients paid for dialysis from their own pockets, creating serious financial hardship for families, while kidney transplantation services also remained limited.
According to him, these challenges highlighted the need for Ghana to focus more on prevention, primary healthcare and long term chronic disease management instead of depending heavily on dialysis centres.
He called for expanded National Health Insurance coverage for essential medicines and diagnostic services, improved data systems, stronger primary healthcare and policies to support mental health and ethical genetic care.
Prof. Boima concluded by urging African countries to lead a new era of “precision kidney care” that focused on people rather than only treating diseased organs.
The Vice Chancellor of the University of Ghana, Professor Nana Aba Appiah Amfo, commended Prof. Boima for his work, stating that the lecture had reshaped thinking on kidney healthcare in Africa.
She noted that the presentation highlighted the hidden financial and social costs of kidney disease and reinforced the need for healthier lifestyles, including reducing salt intake, exercising regularly and taking blood pressure checks seriously.
Prof. Appiah Amfo added that Africa must not only participate in precision medicine but should also help shape its future direction.
By: Jacob Aggrey
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has announced that passport applications that remain incomplete for more than two months will be automatically cancelled.
According to a public notice issued on May 15, the new directive takes immediate effect and applies to all passport applications from the date they are first submitted.
The Ministry explained that incomplete applications include cases that require further vetting, missing supporting documents, incomplete biometric capture or applications awaiting biometric re capture.
It warned that applicants whose submissions are cancelled will lose the fees already paid because the payments are non refundable.
Affected persons will therefore be required to begin a fresh application process and pay the required fees again.
“The general public is therefore encouraged to complete applications on time to avert cancellations,” the notice stated.
The Ministry also urged applicants to respond quickly whenever they are asked to provide additional documents or update their biometric information to avoid delays.
Officials explained that the policy is aimed at reducing delays and clearing backlogs caused by abandoned and incomplete passport applications in the system.
The Ministry assured the public of its commitment to improving passport service delivery across the country.
Applicants seeking further information have been advised to contact the Ministry’s 24 hour call centre
By: Jacob Aggrey
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