Earlier this month, the team had a series of follow-up engagements with the CLS and the traditional leadership of the Avatime Traditional Area to have a detailed discussion about the contents of the Handbook for Documenting Customary Land Rights in Ghana, the draft Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) which seeks to establish a partnership between COLANDEF and the leadership of the Avatime Traditional Area in applying the handbook and to discuss aspects of the MoU that may need revision and subsequently have it signed by the traditional leadership.

The team began with an explanation of the content of the handbook by explaining the technical aspects to the traditional leadership and drawing their attention to the inherent benefits associated with documenting customary land rights through the application of the handbook. The four phases of the land rights documentation process were introduced and explained in detail to the leadership present. Afterward, we discussed the MoU to great lengths, explaining what would be required from COLANDEF and the Avatime Customary Land Secretariat and Traditional Leadership in implementing the guidance from the Handbook.

The Traditional Leadership expressed high level of enthusiasm and interest in the initiative and demonstrated readiness to partner COLANDEF in the institutionalizing of the land right documentation within the Avatime Traditional area. From the engagements, it could be gathered that, there is a strong and healthy working relationship between the Paramount Chief and the CLS as well as all the Land Owning Families within the Avatime Vane community and the other remaining communities in the traditional area. The strong working relationship coupled with the availability of the required logistical support at the CLS makes the partnership on the handbook a very promising one.

Download the Handbook here