Members of the National Assembly have urged the minister of State Propertym Surveys and Land Tenure to ease the cumbersome procedure involve in obtaining a land certificate in the country.
This was during a special plenary at the just ended June session of Parliament. The special plenary on land management and reform, legal, economic, social and political aspects was chaired by Deputy Speaker, Hon. Kombo Gberi.
Opening the session, Hon. Kombo said there are a plethora of land related issues which Cameroonians face and hopes that the minister addresses. At least 15 MPs took to the rostrum to question Minister Henri Eyebe Ayissi.
Their worries range from why a few minority are major land owners in Cameroon, why the process does not permit an average Cameroonian have access to land because of the long and finically draining process, why a single piece of land will sometimes have more than one land tenure document issued to different owners, creating conflict in families and communities, that age should not be a barrier to land ownership, demanded to know efforts made by the government is putting an end to farmer grazer conflicts as well as women’s rights and access to land ownership.
Eyebe Ayissi in his responses began by stating that acquisition process for land tenure documents will be made digital to reduce cost and increase accountability. This, he said, will make it difficult for more than one land certificate be given to an owner, thereby curbing corruption in the process.
He said efforts are intensifying towards reducing injustices in the issuance of land certificates between women and men. The minister said land disputes represent more than 80% of court cases, although access to land is made open to all Cameroonians, no matter their ethnicity, religion and gender.
By Doh Bertrand Nua
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