Land reforms in Africa: Theory, practice, and outcome

Obeng‐Odoom, Franklin

doi:10.1016/j.habitatint.2011.07.001

Cited by 56 publications

(32 citation statements)

References 51 publications

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“…This finding also supports views expressed in Adolwine (2010) that women are more likely to increase agricultural productivity once they have secured their title to land. Whether this perception is consistent with actual experiences after registration, however, requires more careful study, taking into account trends in land litigation (Obeng-Odoom, 2012, 2014. It is remarkable to observe that about 55% of respondents believed that having secure land title did not improve their prospects of securing a loan using the issued land certificate as collateral-This is broadly consistent with earlier studies (Domeher & Abdulai, 2012a, 2012b.…”

Section: Confidence Of the Public In Issued Title Certificatessupporting

confidence: 81%

Ex-Post Analysis of Land Title Registration in Ghana Since 2008 Merger

Ehwi¹,

Asante

2016

SAGE Open

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Land ownership and security of title have continued to dominate land management discourses in many developing economies, leading to a proliferation of studies that explore, among other things, the nexus between land title registration and land security, women’s access to land, innovation in agriculture, access to finance, and economic development. For many years, Ghana experienced minimal success in formalizing land ownership and title registration. However, public confidence and expectations were raised once more in 2008 with the merger of four disparate land agencies into the New Lands Commission (NLC) under the overarching ambit of the Land Administration Project (LAP). This article contributes to existing studies by evaluating the impact of the 2008 merger. This is accomplished by matching the project’s stated objectives with actual outcomes and situating the findings in the broader theoretical debate about land title registration and economic development. Using data gathered through interviews with officials of the Greater Accra Lands Commission and with prospective land title holders, the study concludes that there have not been any great gains in achieving the complete digitization of the title registration process and follow-up procedures. However, there has been a reduction in the turn-around time for processing land documents, from more than 36 months to about 3 months, as well as increased public awareness about the process of title registration. The study recommends further training of staff members of the NLC in handling the digitization process, institutionalization of anti-corruption and anti-bribery practices, and the introduction of a well-functioning customer feedback system.

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Section: Confidence Of the Public In Issued Title Certificatessupporting

confidence: 81%

Ex-Post Analysis of Land Title Registration in Ghana Since 2008 Merger

Ehwi¹,

Asante

2016

SAGE Open

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“…Thus, informal and customary land tenure is regarded as transient and ephemeral, typically tending towards a Western model of formal land tenure. Consistent with this stance, the World Bank has spent a considerable amount of money and offered technical assistance to support many countries in Africa to obtain secure land tenure through land titling (for a review of case studies on how World Bank assistance leads to formalisation, see Obeng-Odoom, 2012). Thus, to the Bank, security of tenure comes about when titling and formalisation cures what has been referred to as 'cultural primitivity' in communities where 'informal' and communal tenure prevail (Jang, 2010).…”

Section: Security Of Tenure and The World Development Agenciesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Security of tenure in international development discourse

Obeng‐Odoom

Stilwell

2013

International Development Planning Review

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the global campaign for secure land tenure is being championed by the international development community through the world development agencies which advocate a particular interpretation of 'security of tenure'. Yet, this article shows that there are many meanings of secure tenure and multiple ways of ensuring that tenure is secure. It suggests that, by ignoring other legal, economic and social interpretations and mechanisms for enhancing security of tenure, and advocating one reductionist view, the world development agencies may be reinforcing other forms of deprivation. researchers and policymakers need to maintain a more critical perspective on the particular understanding of security of land tenure adopted by the world development agencies.

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“…Colonial administrators (see Serels ) and neoliberal reformers have been particularly keen on land registration. However, the outcomes have always contradicted the officials’ expectation and the corresponding theories and schools of thought (Obeng‐Odoom ). The socially significant outcomes have often been the unintended ones.…”

Section: Stakeholders and Interests Shaping Land Registrationmentioning

confidence: 98%

Rural Land Registration in Ethiopia: Myths and Realities

Ayano¹

2018

Law Soc Rev

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Rural land registration has frequently been recommended as a step forward for developing countries. Registration is conceived not only as a means of clarifying property rights and promoting land markets, but also as a way to protect the rights of women and other vulnerable groups and prevent environmental degradation. This package of advantages was once associated with the land rights of individuals. However, more recently, customary interests have been recognized as important for social peace and as serving local conceptions of justice. In recognition of these objectives, Ethiopia and some other countries of sub‐Saharan Africa have formally recognized what are often called “customary land rights.” Ethiopia is cited as a model of this approach in a multicultural setting. This paper shows, however, that serious problems associated with rural land registration have not disappeared. Fieldwork evidence from parts of Ethiopia suggests that customary property interests often go unrecognized. It also shows that the bargaining power of smallholder farmers who rent land to commercial farmers is being reduced. Simultaneously, there is an evident shift in decision‐making power from households and communities to the state and officials. The complexity of these matters in practice raises questions about the interpretation of Ethiopian land policy.

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Land reforms in Africa: Theory, practice, and outcome

Cited by 56 publications

References 51 publications

Ex-Post Analysis of Land Title Registration in Ghana Since 2008 Merger

Ex-Post Analysis of Land Title Registration in Ghana Since 2008 Merger

Security of tenure in international development discourse

Rural Land Registration in Ethiopia: Myths and Realities

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