The Ministry for Local Government, Decentralisation and Rural Development has demanded documentation regarding the allocation of land owned by the Department of Parks and Gardens in Wa in the Upper West Region to a private developer.
The land, reportedly allocated for use as a fuel filling station, is now under scrutiny.
Martin Adjei-Mensah Korsah has directed the Wa Municipal Assembly to provide all relevant documents and approvals related to the land allocation by Monday, July 8, 2024.
A statement issued and signed on behalf of the Minister on the matter has been copied to the Regional Minister, the Upper West Regional Coordinating Council (RCC), and the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) of the Wa Municipal Assembly among others.
It states, “Information reaching the Ministry indicates that the Department of Parks and Gardens’ land at Wa has been allocated to a private developer for use as a fuel filling station.”
“Consequently, you are requested to provide the Ministry with all documentation and approvals relating to the allocation of the said land to the private developer to facilitate investigations on the matter.”
The Minister has also ordered a halt to any development on the land until further notice.
Meanwhile, the Minister has reaffirmed the government’s commitment to safeguarding lands belonging to the Department of Parks and Gardens in Accra and other regions from private encroachment.
The Ministry, he said, is collaborating with key stakeholders, including the Lands Commission and Regional Coordinating Councils to protect these public lands.
Hon. Adjei-Mensah Korsah gave the assurance in Parliament last week Thursday while responding to a question on the alleged encroachment of Parks and Gardens lands.
According to him, in 2022, the Ministry undertook a comprehensive inventory of all assets, including lands that belong to the Department of Parks and Gardens, which resulted in a detailed report that listed all lands under the department’s control.
He said that The Ministry is accessing the Executive Instruments that secured these lands to ward off any unscrupulous persons encroaching on them and is working to physically secure these lands through the construction of fences and hedges.
Addressing the specific case of the Parks and Gardens land in Wa, the Minister assured that a Certificate of Allocation dated November 27, 1975, has been retrieved and notice served to reclaim encroached lands in the Upper West Region and other areas.
