LAND TENURE SECURITY FOR THE RURAL POOR AND MARGINALISED UNDER GHANA'S LAND ADMINISTRATION PROJECT (LAP): A CASE STUDY OF COMMUNITIES IN THE UPPER WEST REGION

Abstract

This study is an examination of the Ghana's Land Administration Project (LAP) as a security of land administration measure for the rural poor and vulnerable groups like women and migrants in Upper West Region of Ghana. The study adopted Yin's (2006) multi-case study approach and focused on Dorimon Community, the Sankana Water Users' Association (WUA) for the study of collective action and the Tabiasie Community for the assessment of LAP's activities in ensuring land tenure security for the poor and marginalised. Data collection techniques such as review of relevant literature, focus groups discussions, group discussions and questionnaire administration were used and data was analysed by the use of the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) and qualitatively as well. The main findings of the study are that: Land title registration was found to be expensive in both cost and time to the poor and vulnerable and therefore inaccessible to them. State institutions responsible for land titling and registration were also observed to be ill-equipped, woefully under staffed and too bureaucratic. Collaboration between traditional and modem institutions is poor. As such, many of the rural people still depend on social relations and spirituality for security of tenure under the customary land tenure systems. Customary land tenure system was the most preferred system in ensuring land tenure security for the poor and vulnerable in the study communities. Land tenure security in study communities also varies with social status. The study also established that the Customary Land Secretariats (CLS/LAP) was misconstrued in Tabiasie to mean sale of lands to settlers. LAP was also reported as not a community-driven initiative but a government intervention into customary land tenure system. Migrant/settler farmers are apprehensive with being registered by the CLS because they did not know the essence of the registration to them and their land lords but also felt it was exploitative. The study concluded that ensuring land tenure security for all and especially for the poor and vulnerable is contextual and therefore advocates for a community-based land administration system in various communities to address the land tenure security needs of the poor according to the existing peculiar problems and contexts. The CLS concept of LAP should be truly community-based, answerable largely to community land stakeholders and should be given enough room to be innovative and solving its own land tenure security needs using the customary land tenure as a starting point.