African countries tipped on land administration

African countries need to improve land tenure in order to spur economic development. This was one of the recommendations from a study conducted by Land Policy Initiative (LPI), established in 2006 as a joint initiative of African Union (AU), the East African Community (EAC), and African Development Bank (AfDB). The study aimed at generating knowledge on adequate land administration systems that can help ensure citizens’ land rights. Findings from the study were made public at a meeting in Kigali on Thursday. The study that covered all the 54 African states, found that all states were at different stages of streamlining land administration but added that the situation was still wanting. Frank Byamugisha, a consultant in land agriculture who headed the study team, said some countries had done better than others in terms of land administration. “Rwanda in the last 10 years has done a lot to improve land administration, especially through its land registration programme. Other African countries should emulate this and improve land administration,” he said. Antonia Pedro, the Director of Economic Commission for Africa at the United Nations, said Africa is greatly endowed with natural resources and can position itself as the world’s bread basket. He, however, said that the continent’s land administration services are largely inefficient, slow and costly and lack transparency which hinders socio-economic development. He said that only 10 per cent of Africa’s land is titled. Byamugisha said that at least 30 per cent of cases in African courts are related to land, adding that such disputes render land unusable until they are solved. Eng. Didier Giscard Sagashya, the deputy director general for land and mapping at Rwanda Natural Resources Authority (RNRA), said that about 80 per cent of the country’s land is titled. He said Rwanda’s digital land administration system makes it easier to establish land ownership, usage, size and transfer of ownership. He said what is left is to sensitise people about the need to register any land transfer to ensure land information is actualised. He said during this year’s Land Week, RNRA staff reached 150 sectors urging people to register information on selling, offering and inheritance of land. Sagashya said the activity will resume in February 2015. Land has been a bone of contention in families. “We are mulling over approaches to help Rwandans deal with land issues appropriately,” he said. Rwanda was chosen as appropriate host of the workshop thanks to its achievements in land administration and management, according to organisers. The study was in line with LPI’s five-year Strategic Plan and Road Map (2012-2016) prepared to implement the EU Declaration on Land Challenges in Africa.

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African countries tipped on land administration