Having completed the first phase of engagements with the various identified Customary Land Secretariats (CLSs) to introduce and sensitize them on the content of the handbook for documenting customary land rights, the team had a follow-up  engagement with the CLS and the traditional leadership of the Fievie Traditional Area on the 13th of August 2020. The purpose of this meeting was to:

• Have a detailed discussion about the contents of the Handbook

• Discuss the draft Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) which seeks to establish a partnership between COLANDEF and the leadership of the Fievie Traditional Area in applying the handbook.

• Discuss aspects of the MoU that may need revision and subsequently have it signed by the traditional leadership.

In our discussion, there was a mutual understanding of the current challenges relating to the documentation of customary land rights in Ghana. We highlighted how the Handbook for Documenting Customary Land Rights seeks to address these issues by providing a step-by-step practical guide on how customary land rights should be documented. The team also gave insight into the development of an IT tool designed to help Customary Land Secretariats document customary land rights with greater accuracy and efficiency.

We were delighted to receive the full support of the traditional leaders in implementing this project in the Fievie Traditional Area.

Next Steps

Our immediate next stage is to have the MoU signed by all the traditional heads to usher us into an official agreement. We are also preparing additional educational material which explains the land acquisition process in detail. We have scheduled further discussions with the Fievie CLS and Fievie Traditional Authority to ensure that this educational material is relevant to the circumstances within the traditional area.

Download the Handbook here