OASL to establish 300 customary land secretariats this year

Ghana’s Office of the Administrator of Stool Lands (OASL) says it will support the creation of 300 new Customary Land Secretariats this year as part of efforts to modernise land administration and expand jobs.

In a statement issued on Monday, January 5 , Administrator of Stool Lands Gad Asorwoe Akwensivie said the expansion forms part of the implementation of the Land Act, 2020 (Act 1036).

The new secretariats are expected to generate more than 6,000 direct jobs nationwide, with roles for secretaries, drivers, ICT staff, administrators, accountants, surveyors, lawyers and physical planners.

They will add to the 110 Customary Land Secretariats already in operation, which OASL says have helped reduce disputes, improve transparency over land transactions and provide a clearer point of contact for investors seeking land information.

Ahead of the rollout, the OASL has begun engagements with traditional authorities, including the National and Regional Houses of Chiefs, Traditional Councils, as well as stools, skins, clans, families and land-focused civil society organisations, in line with Part 2, Chapter 1 of the Land Act.

The office is urging all customary landowners to approach its regional and district offices to initiate the process of establishing their own secretariats, stressing that it is now a legal requirement for stools, skins, families and clans that hold land to do so.

To facilitate the take-off, the OASL says it will provide training and basic start-up equipment on a first-come, first-served basis.

The initiative is being framed as a major intervention to tackle long-standing problems in the customary land sector, where unclear ownership, frequent litigation and tenure insecurity have often discouraged investment and slowed local development.