Clans throughout the country are encouraged to register their customary land under the Incorporated Land Groups (ILG) to safeguard their land.
The importance of ILGs is to safeguard customary landowners from land grabbing, which is on the rise.
“By registering your land under an ILG, you will be recognised by the State to secure that piece of land by having a title so that any developer has to negotiate with the clan,” ILG manager for Southern and New Guinea Islands Max Wagi explained.
The clan will be able to sub-lease their land and will be able to benefit from development services.
“The onus is up to the landowners, if the developers don’t meet certain terms and conditions, the landowners have the right to stop the developer and look for someone else to assist them develop their land,” he said.
Wagi added that the number of ILGs throughout the country is slowly increasing but more awareness is needed to educate the people in villages about the importance of land registration under ILGs.