Central clan secures customary land title

A CLAN in Central has received a title to its 65.5 hectares of customary land.
The Rokolo clan of Irupara village own the land at Panapana which has been registered under the Voluntary Customary Land Registration system.
Lands Department’s acting director of customary land leases Sharon Kila told the landowners that the title was a legal document.
“We are connected to our land by blood. Therefore, land ownership is a communal thing. Land in PNG and other Pacific island countries is not owned by one person but by the tribe which is further broken down into clans,” Kila said.
“The Government has decided to break down land ownership into a clan system so that everyone has a fair share of any benefits.”
Kila urged the clan members to consult among themselves if they planned to conduct business activities.
“We continuously hear of complaints of land grabbing but the truth is there is no actual land grabbing,” she said.
“It is the sons and daughters of the clan that are engaging with foreigners or development partners and doing deals over the piece of land without the consent of the clan executives.”
Kila urged the clan members to consult the clan executives on any land dealing and obtain a lease if they wished to engage development partners.
“It is the customary land sub lease title that can be mortgaged with the banks for development purposes – not the customary land title,” Kila said
Rokolo clan chairman Wala Kila said the aim of registering their land was to tap into the tourism and hospitality industry development in Irupara.
Irupara is about 110km from Port  Moresby in Rigo.
It has a population of about 4000 people.
hospitality industry development in Irupara.
Irupara is about 110 kilometers from Port  Moresby in Rigo district. It has a population of about 4000 people.