Land Administration and Land Titles Registration in Ghana.

The various communities now comprised in the State of Ghana were, before their absorption into the Gold Coast under British colonial rule, separate independent polities. Boundaries between such traditional states were neither abolished, defined nor demarcated. For over three centuries, the basis of the relation between Britain and the Gold Coast was the import-export trade which did not require direct involvement of British subjects in land exploitation. Thus until the last two decades of the nineteenth century, land problems did not concern the colonial government. However, the long contact with Europeans led to the reception of English conceptions of tenure. The introduction of commercial agriculture based on permanent cultivation of cocoa and coffee plantations and the development of the mining and the timber industries during the 1880s had significant impacts on the traditional tenure systems. The concession boom which accompanied these developments caused problems. Land values appreciated and rights to them became keenly contested. Since boundaries remained undefined, there were conflicting and overlapping concession grants. English conveyancing forms and terminology which the grantors could not understand were employed in drafting concession agreements. It was difficult for strangers to identify the persons with legal capacity to deal with the lands which were group-held property. These problems caused insecurity of titles and costly litigation. The measures contained in the abortive Public Lands Bills, 1894 and 1897 were designed to solve these problems. When they were withdrawn on account of European and native opposition, the establishment of a deeds registration system and special courts established to administer concession grants were relied upon for their solution. The Study investigates the effectiveness of these measures and Land administration in the North where the principles of the abortive Land Bills were applied. The period between 1880 and 1977 is covered by the Study

Land administration and land titles registration in Ghana

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Land law in Ghana : contradiction between anglo-American and customary conceptions of tenure and practices

It would appear that the English common law was grafted onto Ghanaian communal societies without taking into account the differences between the early nineteenth-century capitalist economic structures and the egalitarian communal institutions of Ghana. Both systems of law reflect distinctively different economic structures. That oversight laid the foundations for the conflicts between the customary law and practice and the Anglo-American common law, its notions and conceptions of tenure. The conflict that developed has become one of the most formidable obstacles to socioeconomic development in Ghana since colonial times. One of the objectives of this work is to shed light on the linkages between the exploitative capitalist sector and the traditional communal system. In the process, we hope to show that service by the traditional system of the capitalist sector of the economy lies at the root of economic underdevelopment in Ghana. If we achieve our objectives, then we should be able to demonstrate that legislative measures aimed at establishing a machinery for land registration can neither solve the problems of underdevelopment nor effectively eliminate the manifestations of conflict in the shape of litigation and economic underdevelopment. Instead, it would in its effect consolidate the usurpation and privatization of communal lands to be concentrated in the hands of a minority of the rich, speed up the pace of landlessness and social stratification, and lead to political instability. We seek to demonstrate that the present privatization policies, planned within the framework of the International Monetary Fund's and the World Bank's globalization schemes, would aggravate these problems and sharpen the contradictions

Targeted Nanocarrier Delivery of RNA Therapeutics to Control HIV Infection

Our understanding of HIV infection has greatly advanced since the discovery of the virus in 1983. Treatment options have improved the quality of life of people living with HIV/AIDS, turning it from a fatal disease into a chronic, manageable infection. Despite all this progress, a cure remains elusive. A major barrier to attaining an HIV cure is the presence of the latent viral reservoir, which is established early in infection and persists for the lifetime of the host, even during prolonged anti-viral therapy. Different cure strategies are currently being explored to eliminate or suppress this reservoir. Several studies have shown that a functional cure may be achieved by preventing infection and also inhibiting reactivation of the virus from the latent reservoir. Here, we briefly describe the main HIV cure strategies, focussing on the use of RNA therapeutics, including small interfering RNA (siRNA) to maintain HIV permanently in a state of super latency, and CRISPR gRNA to excise the latent reservoir. A challenge with progressing RNA therapeutics to the clinic is achieving effective delivery into the host cell. This review covers recent nanotechnological strategies for siRNA delivery using liposomes, N-acetylgalactosamine conjugation, inorganic nanoparticles and polymer-based nanocapsules. We further discuss the opportunities and challenges of those strategies for HIV treatment

LAND LAW IN GHANA: CONTRADITION BETWEEN ANGLO-AMERICAN AND CUSTOMARY CONCEPTIONS OF TENURE AND PRACTICES

It would appear that the English common law was grafted onto Ghanaian communal societies without taking into account the differences between the early nineteenth-century capitalist economic structures and the egalitarian communal institutions of Ghana. Both systems of law reflect distinctively different economic structures. That oversight laid the foundations for the conflicts between the customary law and practice and the Anglo-American common law, its notions and conceptions of tenure. The conflict that developed has become one of the most formidable obstacles to socioeconomic development in Ghana since colonial times. One of the objectives of this work is to shed light on the linkages between the exploitative capitalist sector and the traditional communal system. In the process, we hope to show that service by the traditional system of the capitalist sector of the economy lies at the root of economic underdevelopment in Ghana. If we achieve our objectives, then we should be able to demonstrate that legislative measures aimed at establishing a machinery for land registration can neither solve the problems of underdevelopment nor effectively eliminate the manifestations of conflict in the shape of litigation and economic underdevelopment. Instead, it would in its effect consolidate the usurpation and privatization of communal lands to be concentrated in the hands of a minority of the rich, speed up the pace of landlessness and social stratification, and lead to political instability. We seek to demonstrate that the present privatization policies, planned within the framework of the International Monetary Fund's and the World Bank's globalization schemes, would aggravate these problems and sharpen the contradictions

LAND LAW IN GHANA: CONTRADITION BETWEEN ANGLO-AMERICAN AND CUSTOMARY CONCEPTIONS OF TENURE AND PRACTICES

It would appear that the English common law was grafted onto Ghanaian communal societies without taking into account the differences between the early nineteenth-century capitalist economic structures and the egalitarian communal institutions of Ghana. Both systems of law reflect distinctively different economic structures. That oversight laid the foundations for the conflicts between the customary law and practice and the Anglo-American common law, its notions and conceptions of tenure. The conflict that developed has become one of the most formidable obstacles to socioeconomic development in Ghana since colonial times. One of the objectives of this work is to shed light on the linkages between the exploitative capitalist sector and the traditional communal system. In the process, we hope to show that service by the traditional system of the capitalist sector of the economy lies at the root of economic underdevelopment in Ghana. If we achieve our objectives, then we should be able to demonstrate that legislative measures aimed at establishing a machinery for land registration can neither solve the problems of underdevelopment nor effectively eliminate the manifestations of conflict in the shape of litigation and economic underdevelopment. Instead, it would in its effect consolidate the usurpation and privatization of communal lands to be concentrated in the hands of a minority of the rich, speed up the pace of landlessness and social stratification, and lead to political instability. We seek to demonstrate that the present privatization policies, planned within the framework of the International Monetary Fund's and the World Bank's globalization schemes, would aggravate these problems and sharpen the contradictions.Land tenure -- Law and legislation, Land tenure -- Law and legislation -- Ghana, Right of property -- Ghana, Land conflicts -- Ghana, Agrarian structure -- Ghana, Land administration -- Ghana, Land Economics/Use,

The Effects of Biofuel Feedstock Production on Farmers’ Livelihoods in Ghana: The Case of Jatropha curcas

The widespread acquisition of land for large-scale/commercial production of biofuel crops in Ghana has raised concerns from civil society organizations, local communities and other parties, regarding the impact of these investments on local livelihoods. This paper assessed the effect of large-scale acquisition of land for production of Jatropha curcas on farmers’ livelihoods in Ghana. The study was conducted in 11 communities spanning the major agro-ecological zones and political divisions across Ghana. Methods of data collection included questionnaire survey, interviews and focus group discussions. Results show that several households have lost their land to Jatropha plantations leading, in some cases, to violent conflicts between biofuel investors, traditional authorities and the local communities. Most people reported that, contrary to the belief that Jatropha does well on marginal lands, the lands acquired by the Jatropha Companies were productive lands. Loss of rights over land has affected households’ food production and security, as many households have resorted to reducing the area they have under cultivation, leading to shortening fallow periods and declining crop yields. In addition, although the cultivation of Jatropha led to the creation of jobs in the communities where they were started, such jobs were merely transient. The paper contends that, even though the impact of Jatropha feedstock production on local livelihoods in Ghana is largely negative, the burgeoning industry could be developed in ways that could support local livelihoods