Cobertura de expectativas del consumidor

Ideally the Omanhene and family heads are the appropriate authorities to make valid transfers of land in consultation with family members. Family members who want to transfer land must do so with the knowledge and concern of the family head. Customarily the roles of the Paramount Chief in land management include the allocation of land for various uses through the traditional council while a divisional chief informs a family owning land about intentions to take the land and settles disputes on land; and no one can bypass the Paramount Chief in all land transaction as he is vested with authority to sign all leases. However, what is happening in these communities is that the family heads and some chiefs together with some elders are re-allocating lands to other settlers without proper consultation with the people. Such cases are explained in detail in chapter 5.

94 4.6.1 Procedure for Land Sale

The specific formalities to be followed in the sale of land to both indigenes and in-migrant subjects are similar, but drink money paid by in-migrants may be higher as compared to an indigene. Drink money is money that is given to the chief in the village by any person who would like to meet the chief be it for land allocation or visitation. In case of land, drink money is a sign of token of appreciation to the chief. In the past one could only bring a bottle of schnapps. However, in recent days drink money has changed from material things to hard cash. For building purposes, anyone who wants land will have to inform the Traditional Council which is headed by the Omaahene. The Traditional Council then decides if there is land available for transfer. If there is land available, an allocation is made by the Lands Committee and an allocation paper issued by the Traditional Council Registrar. Afterwards, the person proceeds to the District Assembly documentation (see Chapter 6 for a detailed explanation).

Several institutions and personalities are involved in the allocation and management of land in the Traditional Area. The Omaahene has a Traditional Council Committee which deals with issues concerning land. There is also a Traditional Council Plot Allocation Committee which allocates land to people who want to acquire them. The Town and Country Planning Department prepares layouts for the Paramount Chief to cover the various communities in the Traditional Area. The Office of the Administrator of Stool Lands (OASL) is consulted for clarification when there are conflicts over portions of land. The OASL is also responsible for revenue mobilization. Different portions of land used for different activities are managed by different institutions. Protected and reserved areas like forest reserves are managed by the Forestry Commission. More to do with these institutions and their roles in relation to land accountability will be discussed in chapter 6. However, the chiefs in the traditional area are responsible for sacred areas such as one shown in Photograph 4.5.

95

Photograph 4.5: A shrine near the palace managed by a high priest in Ofaakor community

Data Source: Fieldwork April 2009-March 2010

There is a clear demarcation of duties assigned to the OASL and the District Assembly when it comes to revenue collection. The OASL collects ground rents on farmland while the District Assembly collects property rates on properties in the traditional area. The rent collected by the OASL is divided according to the OASL Act (see chapter 6) which is channelled to the appropriate stool and the district assembly too. Residential areas are managed by the Town and Country Planning Department. Places for economic activities like markets are also managed by the District Assembly which collects tolls from people who conduct commercial activities on such land. Customarily, the appropriate authority which has the capacity to make valid transfers of land in the traditional area is the omanhene. For farm lands, potential needs to find a person who has such land and agreements are made. When a person is looking for farm land, the person approaches the person who owns that farm land for negotiations. The person refers him or her to the odikro of the area who informs the chief about the request. The Omanhene may or may not be involved even though by custom his attention has to be drawn. However these formalities followed in the acquisition of land in the traditional area is undergoing some changes.

96

Chiefs, claim that land is not sold in the area but only drink money is often taken40_{. The amount}

collected is determined by the individual landowner. A buyer can also first contact the ‘Odikro’ and proceed to the omanhene. The amount collected is divided into 3 and shared among the ‘Odikro’,

omanhene and the family owning the land. On the other hand if a buyer needs a large tract of land

(e.g. 5 acres) for a project, he must contact the omanhene for such land. In the case of farm lands the head of the family must be contacted and the necessary agreements made. The agreements that are usually made during this process amongst others are that the farmer is not allowed to grow crops other than agreed upon more especially the long term crops that take years to mature. Further, the farmer is not allowed to sell or re-allocate that land to another buyer by any means because all stool land belongs to the chief and he is the only one responsible to do so. Documents are prepared and witnesses brought in.