Over 4.6m land parcels now digitalised

Rwanda Natural Resources Authority (RNRA) has digitalised 4,611,824 parcels of land countrywide, according to an official.

Friday, March 23, 2012
A staff member digitalising maps of land parcels. The New Times / Courtesy.

Rwanda Natural Resources Authority (RNRA) has digitalised 4,611,824 parcels of land countrywide, according to an official.Speaking to The New Times, Wednesday, Parfait Karekezi, the Geographic Information System (GIS) Specialist at RNRA, said the process is moving on well despite the fact that it’s labour intensive and very time-consuming ."We are trying our level best to digitalise all pieces of land before this year ends. We have so far finished Kirehe District as well as all districts in Kigali City,” he said.Karekezi pointed out that the process is important because it helps to correct errors or distortions in the original maps at the time of land demarcation and adjudication.The land body has so far demarcated and adjudicated 9 million parcels of land countrywide.He said that the modernisation of land records by digitalising the cadastral maps leads to better land management for future reference in case of land conflicts.According to Thierry Hoza Ngoga, Division Manager, Land Technical Operations at RNRA, the process enables the institution to have all plots of land put in digital archives."The digitalisation process assists us to effectively manage and safely keep our records. As our country moves from analogue to digital, we need to have all the information digitalised in electronic format,” he noted.Ngoga pointed out that the institution is moving away from working on paper. The digitalisation of parcels also helps to update the land registration database.