In a deliberate effort to ensure transparency and eradicate corruption within the system, the Lands Commission has changed all the Frontline Staff at its ultramodern Client Service Access Unit (CSAU) which was launched in 2015.
The changes which forms part of an ongoing reforms at the Lands Commission follows a recent report from the United Nations Office on Drug and Crime which placed the Lands Commission as the 4th public sector agency in Ghana, where corruption was most prevalent and 1st in terms of average bribe size.
This came to bear when the Deputy Minister for Lands and Natural Resources Hon. Benito Owusu Bio paid a working visit to the CSAU of the Lands Commission to inspect and learn at first hand the changes that have been effected by the Commission.
The new staff working in the CSAU
Addressing the media after the inspection the Deputy Minister stressed that the reforms at the Lands Commission was needed to ensure transparency in the system.
He said this reforms which includes administrative and structural would give a new boost and help redeem the image of the Commission.
“What is important is that we want to make sure that the image of the Lands Commission has been teoded from the minds of the people.
We want to erode that perception from the minds of the people and as such they’they be started the reforms”, Hon. Owusu-Bio reiterated.
The Deputy Minister also stressed the need for awareness creation to be done about the new processes and the requirements for application to enable the public to be well informed and come prepared.
Deputy Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Hon. Benito Owusu -Bio speaking to the media
He later revealed that the Lands Commission would in the coming months sign an 85 million dollar public private partnership “ in order to inject a capital into what they do so that they digitize the system”
He said Government can not do it alone hence the private partner to come on board to assist for 5 years after which it will be handed over to the Lands Commission.
For his part, the Acting Executive Secretary for Lands Commission, Mr. Benjamin Arthur explained that the changes is to avoid incidents of taking applications which would eventually not be processed due to challenges with the applications.
Acting Executive Secretary of Lands Commission, Mr. Benjamin Arthur
He added that the “intention is to ensure that what we receive in the system is good enough to process at the first instance”.
He further stressed that the new staff of the CSAU are more professional with technical expertise to deliver the services required of the Commission.
Mr. Arthur also revealed that due to familiarity which often results in corruption, the Commission will constantly rotate the staff at the CSAU.
“This is just the beginning. As we progress the intention is to create a Centre which will privide clients and public with a lot of information about processes, fees, requirements for applications and complaints Centre to make the processes seamless for them”.
Source:www.senaradioonline.com
