Land, Urbanisation, And Custom In The Upper-East Region Of Ghana: The Case Of Navrongo, 1927- The Present

ABSTRACT  Ghana’s land tenure system is a blend of customary and statutory tenure systems and this is viewed as a complex network of interrelationships, characterised by various actors. In such a situation, it is expected that land disputes and tenure insecurity will be rife, especially in the urban and peri-urban areas. This study reveals that the tension between customary, statutory land regulations and practices, are a result of a clash of jurisdictions. The study also provides insights into observable social change patterns that are instructive for land administration, where customary laws evolve in a rapidly changing society. The study investigates on the basis of oral testimony, together with archival and published documents, the relationship between land, urbanisation and custom in Navrongo, in the Upper-East Region of Ghana. It provides an ethnographically enhanced history of Navrongo from the twentieth century to the present, locating that history within the context of the regional resources and political culture of Navrongo. A consideration of earth priests, chiefs, and state, amply demonstrates how the history, which is often assumed by scholars, has been created by the prejudices of colonial anthropology, the requirements of indirect rule and some political manipulation. The study also demonstrates how political agency has shaped the evolution of customs around land, as it gradually assumed importance as a commodity and a resource for development, especially in the face of irrigation farming. The internal land disputes in Navrongo are shown as a product of a blend of customary norms, politics, western education, Christianity and economic opportunism. The study presents a detailed analysis of the complex relationship between secular and ritual or religious sources of power over natural resources and how these have changed over time in the face of urbanisation.