The Commission of Inquiry (CoI) on African ancestral land ownership as well as land titling will be continuing its work in regions Two, Five and Six this week, to allow additional public consultations.
Field visits will also be carried out.
In a public notice published in the national newspapers last Wednesday, it was announced that the CoI will be conducting one-day consultations in the regions, and persons interested in being a part of the hearings are being asked to submit a written statement, along with any supporting documents on the day the meetings are scheduled to be held in their respective area.
The need for follow up investigations as a result of testimonies already presented before the commission is one of the reasons the commission has extended its reach, Commissioner David James explained. Additionally, the commission is seeking to give an ear to interested persons located in the outlying regions.
On Monday, December 11, a hearing is scheduled for 10 am to 4 pm at the University of Guyana’s Tain Campus, Corentyne (Region Six).
The following day, Tuesday, December 12, the commissioners will head to the Regional Democratic Council (RDC) office at Fort Wellington, West Coast Berbice (Region Five), where another hearing will be held from 10 am to 4 pm.
On Friday, December 15, a public consultation is scheduled at the RDC office in Anna Regina on the Essequibo Coast (Region Two), from 10 am to 3 pm.
The initial hearings of the CoI were held at the Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission in Georgetown (Region Four).
The CoI is tasked with examining and making recommendations to resolve all the issues and uncertainties surrounding the individual, joint or communal ownership of land acquired by freed Africans and other matters relative to land titling.
