IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/lauspo/v120y2022ics026483772200299x.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Resolving land conflicts through Alternative Dispute Resolution: Exploring the motivations and challenges in Ghana

Author

Listed:
  • Ibrahim, Abdul-Salam
  • Abubakari, Mohammed
  • Akanbang, Bernard A.A.
  • Kepe, Thembela

Abstract

Alternative Disputes Resolution (ADR) is gaining increasing attention in scholarly and legal circles globally, due to the inherent weaknesses of the statutory court system. Recent studies have focused on ADR processes and their effectiveness over the formal court system. However, the motivations and challenges of using ADR systems by disputants seldom receive attention, particularly within the context of the rising incidences of land disputes in Africa. This study examines the motivations and challenges of using ADR by land litigants under the fragmented land ownership system in the Upper West Region of Ghana. Using a case study research design, the study found reluctance in the enforcement of resolved disputes, perceived discrimination against minority groups, biases in the process of appeal, and inadequate resources as challenges with ADR in the Region. Motivations for the use of ADR included relationship building, perception of fairness and justice, and relatively cheaper and quicker processes of adjudication. The study concludes that ADR committees have strong potential to deal with the rising incidence of land disputes, but their weaknesses must be addressed. ADR committees should work with Customary Land Secretariats (CLS) to educate the public on their functions and dispute resolution processes, in order to help reduce the perception of bias levelled against them.

Suggested Citation

  • Ibrahim, Abdul-Salam & Abubakari, Mohammed & Akanbang, Bernard A.A. & Kepe, Thembela, 2022. "Resolving land conflicts through Alternative Dispute Resolution: Exploring the motivations and challenges in Ghana," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 120(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:lauspo:v:120:y:2022:i:c:s026483772200299x
    DOI: 10.1016/j.landusepol.2022.106272
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S026483772200299X
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.landusepol.2022.106272?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Agheyisi, Justin Eduviere, 2019. "Inter-communal land conflicts in Benin City, Nigeria: Exploring the root causes in the context of customary land supply," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 83(C), pages 532-542.
    2. Ibrahim, Abdul-Salam & Akanbang, Bernard A.A. & Nunbogu, Abraham Marshall & Kuusaana, Elias Danyi & Ahmed, Abubakari, 2020. "Collaborative customary land governance: Motivations and challenges of forming land management committees (LMCs) in the upper west region of Ghana," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 99(C).
    3. Kalabamu, Faustin Tirwirukwa, 2019. "Land tenure reforms and persistence of land conflicts in Sub-Saharan Africa – The case of Botswana," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 81(C), pages 337-345.
    4. Kansanga, Moses & Andersen, Peter & Atuoye, Kilian & Mason-Renton, Sarah, 2018. "Contested commons: Agricultural modernization, tenure ambiguities and intra-familial land grabbing in Ghana," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 75(C), pages 215-224.
    5. Kansanga, Moses Mosonsieyiri & Arku, Godwin & Luginaah, Isaac, 2019. "Powers of exclusion and counter-exclusion: The political ecology of ethno-territorial customary land boundary conflicts in Ghana," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 86(C), pages 12-22.
    6. Abubakari, Mohammed & Twum, Kwaku Owusu & Asokwah, Gertrude Amissah, 2020. "From conflict to cooperation: The trajectories of large scale land investments on land conflict reversal in Ghana," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 94(C).
    7. Richard C. Crook & Kojo P. Asante & Victor K. Brobbey, 2011. "Popular Concepts of Justice and Hybrid Judicial Institutions in Ghana," IDS Bulletin, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 42(2), pages 64-75, March.
    8. Kansanga, Moses Mosonsieyiri & Luginaah, Isaac, 2019. "Agrarian livelihoods under siege: Carbon forestry, tenure constraints and the rise of capitalist forest enclosures in Ghana," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 113(C), pages 131-142.
    9. Berry, Sara S., 2018. "Who owns the land? Social relations and conflict over resources in Africa," GLOCON Working Paper Series 7, Freie Universität Berlin, Junior Research Group "Global Change – Local Conflicts?" (GLOCON).
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Herkes, Feie J. & Zouridis, Stavros, 2023. "The legitimacy of land use decisions by public authorities in the Netherlands: Results from a survey experiment," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 134(C).
    2. Ma, Binfeng & Wang, Xiaofang, 2023. "How does green floating bond and financial sector readiness promote green economic growth evidence from China," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 85(PB).

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Kansanga, Moses Mosonsieyiri & Ahmed, Abubakari & Kuusaana, Elias Danyi & Oteng-Ababio, Martin & Luginaah, Isaac, 2020. "Of waste facility siting and relational geographies of place: Peri-urban landfills, community resistance and the politics of land control in Ghana," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 96(C).
    2. Wegenast, Tim & Richetta, Cécile & Krauser, Mario & Leibik, Alexander, 2022. "Grabbed trust? The impact of large-scale land acquisitions on social trust in Africa," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 159(C).
    3. Kumeh, Eric Mensah & Kyereh, Boateng & Birkenberg, Athena & Birner, Regina, 2021. "Customary power, farmer strategies and the dynamics of access to protected forestlands for farming: Implications for Ghana's forest bioeconomy," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 133(C).
    4. Kumeh, Eric Mensah & Bieling, Claudia & Birner, Regina, 2022. "Food-security corridors: A crucial but missing link in tackling deforestation in Southwestern Ghana," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 112(C).
    5. Kansanga, Moses Mosonsieyiri & Arku, Godwin & Luginaah, Isaac, 2019. "Powers of exclusion and counter-exclusion: The political ecology of ethno-territorial customary land boundary conflicts in Ghana," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 86(C), pages 12-22.
    6. Ibrahim, Abdul-Salam & Akanbang, Bernard A.A. & Nunbogu, Abraham Marshall & Kuusaana, Elias Danyi & Ahmed, Abubakari, 2020. "Collaborative customary land governance: Motivations and challenges of forming land management committees (LMCs) in the upper west region of Ghana," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 99(C).
    7. Max Ajl, 2021. "A People’s Green New Deal: Obstacles and Prospects," Agrarian South: Journal of Political Economy, Centre for Agrarian Research and Education for South, vol. 10(2), pages 371-390, August.
    8. Roudgarmi, Pezhman & Mahdiraji, Mohammad Taghi Amoozadeh, 2020. "Current Challenges of Laws for Preservation of Forest and Rangeland, Iran," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 99(C).
    9. Shafi, Ahsan & Wang, Zhanqi & Ehsan, Muhsan & Riaz, Faizan Ahmed & Ali, Muhammad Rashid & Xu, Feng, 2023. "A game theory approach to land acquisition conflicts in Pakistan," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 132(C).
    10. Festus A. Asaaga, 2021. "Building on “Traditional” Land Dispute Resolution Mechanisms in Rural Ghana: Adaptive or Anachronistic?," Land, MDPI, vol. 10(2), pages 1-17, February.
    11. Kandel, Matt & Anghileri, Daniela & Alare, Rahinatu S. & Lovett, Peter N. & Agaba, Genevieve & Addoah, Thomas & Schreckenberg, Kate, 2022. "Farmers’ perspectives and context are key for the success and sustainability of farmer-managed natural regeneration (FMNR) in northeastern Ghana," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 158(C).
    12. Daum, Thomas & Villalba, Roberto & Anidi, Oluwakayode & Mayienga, Sharon Masakhwe & Gupta, Saurabh & Birner, Regina, 2021. "Uber for tractors? Opportunities and challenges of digital tools for tractor hire in India and Nigeria," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 144(C).
    13. Yokying, Phanwin & Lambrecht, Isabel, 2020. "Landownership and the gender gap in agriculture: Insights from northern Ghana," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 99(C).
    14. John Anku & Nathan Andrews & Logan Cochrane, 2022. "The Global Land Rush and Agricultural Investment in Ghana: Existing Knowledge, Gaps, and Future Directions," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(1), pages 1-17, December.
    15. Kimura, Yuichi, 2021. "Shackles of Kinship Bonds: Land Tenure Institutions and Smallholders' Farm Investments in Ghana," 2021 Conference, August 17-31, 2021, Virtual 315049, International Association of Agricultural Economists.
    16. Furui Xi & Runping Wang & Jusong Shi & Jinde Zhang & Yang Yu & Na Wang & Zhiyi Wang, 2022. "Spatio-Temporal Pattern and Conflict Identification of Production–Living–Ecological Space in the Yellow River Basin," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(5), pages 1-22, May.
    17. Lenggenhager, Luregn & Ramutsindela, Maano, 2021. "Property killed a peace park dream: The entanglement of property, politics and conservation along the Gariep," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 105(C).
    18. Edeh, Hyacinth O. & Mavrotas, George & Balana, Bedru B., 2022. "Land tenure security and preferences to dispute resolution pathways among landholders in Nigeria," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 119(C).
    19. Benito Arruñada & Marco Fabbri & Michael Faure, 2022. "Land Titling and Litigation," Journal of Law and Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 65(1), pages 131-156.
    20. Bekele, Adugna Eneyew & Drabik, Dusan & Dries, Liesbeth & Heijman, Wim, 2022. "Large-scale land investments and land-use conflicts in the agro-pastoral areas of Ethiopia," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 119(C).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:lauspo:v:120:y:2022:i:c:s026483772200299x. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Joice Jiang (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.journals.elsevier.com/land-use-policy .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.