Facing the Challenges in Building Sustainable Land Administration Capacity in Ethiopia (original) (raw)
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Journal of Environment and Earth Science, 2015
Land registration and certification has been alleged as a prerequisite for securing property rights which is vital for sustainable land management and agricultural development. The objective of this study was to investigate the role of land registration and certification program in assuring sustainable land management in Gishe Rabel District, in Amhara State of Ethiopia. Data for this study were collected through questionnaire, interview of farmers and experts in the field and focus group discussions. About five hundred and forty households were taken as sample population for the questionnaire. A total of one hundred and sixty eight households participated in the focus group discussions. The number of participants for interview was sixty. The data collected through questionnaire were analyzed quantitatively; whereas the data collected through focus group discussions and interviews were compiled, summarized and interpreted qualitatively by cross checking with the responses of questionnaires. The findings of this study show that in Gishe Rabel District rural land registration and certification program assured sustainable land management.
HUJL, 2019
Abstract This study examines the rural land registration and certification in Ethiopia focusing on West Arsis Zone of Oromia National Regional State. It is done in light of good land governance which mainly focuses on key areas of land sector such as, legal and institutional framework, and land information which is maintained by registration and certification of land. Rural land certification of the research area is assessed based on key informant interviews, focused group discussions, personal observation, previous research results, and relevant land laws. The findings of the study reveal that rural land certification is recognized for all types of land holdings by land laws though there are some loopholes. Furthermore, the rural land certification process is decentralized to the extent of Kebele level for making service accessible even though it is affected by lack of capacity. Moreover, the second level rural land registration and certification, which covers all types of rural land holdings, is underway to ensure tenure security. It is mainly meant to solve deficiencies of the first level registration relating to inaccuracy, outdated and incomplete land information. Although the second level certification helps to ensure more accurate data, and accessibility to farmers in terms of cost, it fails to incorporate land use plan, and land value specifically fertility of land which in turn affects the proper use of land and fairness of land taxation. Thus, to ensure good land governance, the second level registration should encompass all land information including land use plan, and value of land. Also, computerized land data should be updated timely to sustain the significance of the registration. Furthermore, there should be public awareness creation activities, building the capacity of the land administration office, and filling gaps in laws especially procedures of updating land data and the consequences of failure to comply with it. Keywords: Land administration, Registration, Certification, Rural land, Good governance, Ethiopia
Critical Gaps in Land Governance with Respect to the Land Registration System in Ethiopia
Critical Gaps in Land Governance with Respect to the Land Registration System in Ethiopia, 2021
Land registration is a useful land information system practised in almost all modern nations. It is also true that many land registration systems fail due to a number of reasons. This article investigates whether the land registration system in Ethiopia has given due attention to sound land governance components which are critical for the success of any land registration system. Doctrinal and content analysis of legislative documents of Ethiopia is applied to this end. Desk review of relevant secondary material was also used. The article discusses the general role of good governance in such systems and shows the benefits of a land registration system that is exercised under good governance. A conceptual framework is used by which the land registration governance system of Ethiopia is weighed. I argue that the land registration system of Ethiopia has major gaps of land governance. Good land governance in land registration of the country could be enhanced by the provision of adequate legislative and policy framework, effective land registration institutional organs and efficient processes for the enforcement of the system.
Land Governance in Ethiopia: Towards Evaluating Global Trends
2018
Land is a vital resource and a driver of economic growth and development. The way it is governed and administered therefore has a significant impact on a certain country’s future. Land and the institutions that govern its ownership and use greatly affect economic growth and contributes in poverty reduction. Lack of access to land and inefficient or corrupt systems of land administration have a negative impact on a country’s investment , climate and general wellbeing of the society. Well-functioning land institutions, land markets and easy access to credit facilities for entrepreneurs contribute for development. Land governance must help to eradicate poverty, not contribute to it. Hence, Ethiopia needs to have a land governance policy that fosters transfer of land rights, fosters respect for human rights, and rescues the environment from imminent peril in line with the principles of sustainable development. Hence, this article contributes knowledge towards responsible land governance...
Lessons from the evaluation of land administration systems are important to facilitate sustainable development. The Amhara National Regional State of Ethiopia has designed and is implementing a land administration system since 2003. In the study a systematic evaluation was conducted. During the evaluation process external factors, monitoring, and evaluation functions were considered. Individual landholders, land administration staff, land use committee members, professionals, and representatives of main stakeholder offices were involved in the evaluation process. The study revealed the major strengths and weaknesses of the Amhara region land administration system
PanAfrican Journal of Governance and Development (PJGD), 2022
This study aims to assess urban land administration practices in the study area. The study has applied a multi-stage representative sampling technique to achieve this objective. The researcher has employed a descriptive research design, and both quantitative and qualitative methods were adopted. The study used 137 systematically selected sample households from four sampled kebeles. The primary data was collected from the municipal city officials and experts, focus group discussions participants as well as households by the researcher with the help of enumerators, and secondary data was collected from rules and regulations, documents concerning land and property registration system, different documents on good governance principles and official records. Five (5) key informants from sectorial offices concerning urban land administration were interviewed. The researcher has also organized two focus group discussions having six (6) purposively selected participants in each group compris...
Establishing an Ethiopian Land Administration Professionals' Association: A Conducive Environment
2010
Ethiopia is, in the last two decades, taking some positive measures to improve the old long lasting poor land administration system. Some laws were made at federal and regional level; so were some policy guidelines. More importantly, land registration and certification is being implemented in the country though in quite varying scale and quality. In view of this, it is quite appropriate to investigate the major gaps in the existing sustainable land management practices. The gaps should be identified and a few possible solutions be indicated. The main problems in this regard relate to enforcing institutions of the land laws and activities, legislative framework for the land administration, and the technical management of the land related information such as the issue of computerization. However, this governmental effort has to be supported by the land professionals in the country whose number is increasing at a good rate. In view of this, the land professionals have already planned to come together in an association called the Ethiopian Land Administration Professionals' Association. They will obviously help the government's eforts through the identification of the gaps and problems in the land administration system, not to mention the high advantage they will get through the advancing of their own professional self interests. Therefore, this paper attempts to explain briefly the need for such an asscociaion in Ethiopia and the nature of the association which has been established and will hopefully be soon registered.
Policies and praxis of land acquisition, use, and development in Ethiopia
Land Use Policy, 2018
Ethiopia is one of the few African countries that have implemented a revolutionary land reform program that still retains the relics of the socialist ideology, specifically, the state ownership of land. Since 1975, the country has undergone a major transformation in implementing land reform policies and other major economic programs that have contributed to the development of an unsustainable land use structure that has become a burden on the national economy. The purpose of this research is to examine the current land use system in the context of the various policies and programs of the government. The analysis reveals that the land use system in Ethiopia is riddled with a host of problems including insecurity of tenure, fragmentation and diminution of farm sizes, corruption associated with land stocking by individuals and corporations with strong political ties, the displacement of farmers and poor urban residents, and the issue of expropriation and unfair compensation for land taken from land owners. The study recommends major reform programs related to right of ownership, land confiscation and compensation, institutional capacity building, protection of prime agricultural land and local environment, and addressing problems of land grabbing and land banking.
2014
This study analyses the impact of land registration and certification scheme on sustainable use of farmlands in Debre Mawi and Densa Bahta rural kebeles of Amhara region in northwestern Ethiopia, with a view to contributing to the theoretical debate on tenure security and more realistic policy advocacy on the sustainable use of farmlands. Within the framework of qualitative research methodology, the case study approach helps to observe and understand the relationship between land titling and sustainable use of farmlands in Densa Bahta and Debre Mawi kebeles of the Amhara region in Ethiopia. Specific methods employed were focus group discussions, in-depth interviews and observation, complemented by context analyses of relevant documents. It was found that land titling has contributed to a high perception of security of land tenure among study respondents. However, results show that land titling has both positive and negative impacts on sustainable use of farmlands. The positive impac...
In Ethiopia land is a major socio-economic asset. Nearly 89 percent of the population in Amhara region resides in the rural areas and predominately engaged in small scale and subsistence agriculture which accounts 55.8 percent of the Regional GDP. Natural factors coupled with human factors resulted in an alarming land and other natural resource degradation in the region. These problems are thought to be exacerbated by tenure insecurity and lack of proper land administration system which deals with this issue. With a strong conviction of the existence of alarming natural resource degradation, the Amhara National Regional State (ANRS) asserts the tenure security argument as an important incentive and policy principle for designing a sound land management and land administration system. To this commitment, the Regional government has under taken policy, institutional, and legal reforms since 2000. The rural land registration and certification exercise is, therefore, dedicated to assure tenure security of user rights of rural land holders. This operation has combined with endeavours in combating the alarming land degradation problem through proper land management and environmental protection for sustainable development all over the Region. The aim of this paper is to assess and evaluate the rural land registration and land information system in Amhara region from land administration point of view. Whereby the paper has attempted to show what are the good practices and performance gaps and suggests as to how the system could be more efficient, reliable and adaptable to new circumstances. A descriptive approach is mainly employed to attain the study objectives. Both primary and secondary data are used as sources of information. Primary data are generated through focus group discussions with members of Kebele Land Administration committee (KLAC), interview with farmers and Woreda land administration staffs in the field. Reviews of different policy documents, relevant legislations, system development and implementation reports are used to generate secondary data. Besides, conceptual evaluation model is also employed to identify the good practices and performance gaps of the system. The study has addressed policy issues, institutional arrangements, responsibilities and coordination, legal frameworks and enforceability, technical issues like data acquisition, maintenance and updating, safety and security, and information dissemination. The research has concluded that the development of this new system is a welcome operation among different potential stakeholders in the region. EPLAUA’s strategy to address tenure insecurity problem through an innovative and pro-poor approach has significantly considered as good practice of the system. Besides, the process of reviewing and amending the previous land administration law is timely done, though some basic by-laws are not enacted to date. This shows that the iterative nature of the system by which it attempted to accommodate new demands of potential stakeholders. However, some of the principles of effective legal frameworks stated in the legislations and the reality on the ground did not match. On the other hand, the research has shown that there is a serious lack of coordination and communication among the responsible organs at all level though at the lower is worsening. Even if successful land registration and LIS would require the assumption of a very heavy, and often thankless, coordination of responsibilities between different stakeholders, EPLAUA was seemed either hesitant to take the lead to establish a smooth coordination and communication among different stakeholders or unable to do so. Besides, the land policy and land registration objectives and principle of LIS, the responsibilities of each separate entity which deals with rural land is not well publicized for the general public, closely monitored, and followed up. As a recommendation the following particulars shall be given due consideration by the concerned body so that the system could be more efficient, reliable and adaptable to new circumstances. Stakeholders’ participation in policy formulation should be encouraged since this enables to strengthen the dialogue and mutual trust among the various actors and between the actors and the institution. The decentralised organizational arrangement of EPLAUA should be strengthened by giving ultimate autonomy and adequate financial support at all level. EPLAUA shall take the lead and organize an independent forum at Regional level so as to encourage dialogue and develop mutual trust and cooperation between different potential stakeholders. The process of legal reform related to rural land would consider and reflect the four basic principles of effective legal framework on one hand, and the coordination and consideration of effects on provisions on other related laws on the other hand. It should also be respected and implemented accordingly. Otherwise, the promised tenure security would be jeopardise or in vain. Last but not least, the land policy, land registration objectives and principle of LIS, and the responsibilities of each separate entity which deals with rural land should be well publicized for the general public, closely monitored, and followed up. EPLAUA shall give due attention and do the necessary measure regarding the maintaining and updating of the registry urgently.