A study of the institution of the customary land tenure system in the supply of property rights for urban development : an example of Accra, Ghana
Mends, Theodora Mantebea & Johan de Meijere
The majority of land in African countries is managed under customaryy law. This system is appropriate for agricultural and socially stable societies and economies. People make cities grow and search for sites where urban economic development can take place. New sites are found in land which is managed under customary law. Ghana and the city of Accra demonstrate this phenomenon. This article refers to a research whereby the process of land acquisition and conversion for urbann use was investigated in the outskirts of Accra. The area is managed as family landd. Attention was given to urban demandd actors, the interaction and negotiation processes between the family-chiefs and these urban actors. The problems arising in the process and the speed of the process were analyzed. The degree of tenure securityy for the newcomers and the degree of control from the customary side were also analyzed. Urban families invest their savings in the gradual development of properties for future sale, housing or rental purposes leading to a steady urbanization in customary held areas The customary system is capable of providing access to land for urbanization, though conflicts can arise as well within the customary society as between the newcomers and the customary society. Some of these conflicts arise from the sharpening of land boundaries in the process of forming new Urban Objectss in the originally Rural Customary Area Objectt.
Event: 5th FIG Regional Conference for Africa : Promoting Land Administration and Good Governance
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