YKMA HOLDS A STAKEHOLDER MEETING TO REVIEW THE REVISED BASE MAP AND LOCAL PLAN FOR COMMUNITIES WITHIN THE MUNICIPALITY

As part of efforts to ensure orderly and sustainable development within the communities in the Yilo Krobo Municipality, on Thursday, June 25, 2026, the Yilo Krobo Municipal Assembly(YKMA) led by the Municipal Chief Executive, Hon. Francis Addo Akumatey, and the Municipal Co-ordinating Director, Mr. Abdul-Hussein A. Rasheed, held a second stakeholder meeting with Land Use and Spatial Planning Authority(LUPSA) and other Land Sector Agencies to review the revised proposals and obtain stakeholders’ inputs before the plan is submitted for final approval and subsequent implementation.This crucial stakeholder engagement meeting focused on a Base Map and a Local Plan for Trom-Somanya, Klo-Agogo, Nkurakan, and Oterkporlu.

The Municipal Chief Executive(MCE), Hon. Francis Addo Akumatey, pointed out that engaging stakeholders is essential as Land use planning affects all parts of society, including:

• Land owners and developers
• Business partners and community groups
• Government institutions and local residents

Hon. Akumatey emphasized that involving land use technocrats and land owners helps the Assembly tap into local knowledge, identify specific community needs, address public concerns, build consensus, and encourage transparency, and ownership of the final plans. He added that effective spatial planning is crucial for tackling several modern municipal challenges such as:

• Uncontrolled or haphazard development
• Land use conflicts
• Environmental degradation
• Inadequate infrastructure
• Disaster risk management

He stressed that their cooperation and participation are vital for sustainable development and completing the planning process successfully. Attendees included representatives from land Use and Spatial Planning Authority(LUSPA), the Lands Commission, the Licensed Surveyors Association of Ghana (LISAG), Traditional Authorities,University of Environment and Sustainable Development(UESD), and members of the Municipal Technical and Spatial Planning Committees.

In concluding his remarks, Hon. Akumatey reaffirmed the municipal Assembly’s commitment to support the Land Use and Spatial Planning Authority and all partner institutions throughout this effort. He urged all participants to contribute positively, emphasizing that investing in quality base maps and local plans is a valuable investment in the future development and sustainable growth of the municipality.

The Deputy Director for spatial planning at LUSPA, Mr. Chapman Owusu Sekyere, explained in his opening remarks that Base Maps are necessary for effective spatial planning as development cannot wait for the Municipality. He added that Base Maps provide important physical details of the area and offer location references for land features, among other things. He noted that lack of current Base Maps has made spatial planning difficult and expressed hope that this collaboration would solve the existing problems.

Mr. Stephen Djaba from LISAG indicated that a comprehensive and accurate Base Map is not merely a technical document, but a foundation upon which sound development, planning, land administration, infrastructure investment, and environmental sustainability are built. He continued that without accurate Base map, planning becomes a guess work, but with it, development becomes purposeful coordinated, and sustainable. He expressed the willingness of LISAG to support the process with highest level of professional expertise to serve as dependable foundation for planners, engineers, architects, utility providers, investors, and policy makers. He appealed to the landowners, Traditional Authorities, and community members to cooperate fully throughout the mapping and planning process to make Yilo a development hub in Ghana.

In concluding his remarks, Hon. Akumatey expressed his profound gratitude to all stakeholders, particularly the landowners, Mr. Joe Tetteh and Madam Akua Adorley Nyante, for showing their unwavering support for the project. He assured the landowners that the final approval by the Assembly for implementation does not determine the ownership of land.

REPORT FROM:ISD AND MIS, YKMA