| Project Detail |
Based on a 15-year vision of land policy which remains to be finalized, this operation aims to help the Government of Benin strengthen social cohesion and promote economic development by clarifying and securing urban and rural land rights on a large scale. One of the key issues is to avoid the outbreak of future conflicts tomorrow by securing land rights today through massive land rights registration operations. The expected outcomes of this operation are to (i) strengthen social cohesion and ease tensions between communities; (ii) increase investments and public resources; (iii) facilitate a sustainable natural resources management; (iv) empower women access to land; (v) improve public land services delivery provided to citizens. Three components are considered: Component 1: Institutional capacity building (US$ 40 million). The objectives of this component are to improve land administration efficacy and efficiency in order to provide the GoB with the needed capacities for a nationwide land registration operation by 2030 through the following subcomponents: • Sub-component 1.1: Infrastructure improvement and equipment (US$ 25 million). Central, regional and selected local land offices will be renovated and equipped. Investments in furniture, IT equipment, as well as Internet and electrical connection (where necessary) will increase land administration efficacy at all levels and provide local communities with direct access to land administration services. • Sub-component 1.2: Human capacity building (US$ 5 million). To increase the efficiency of land administration services and build capacity for project implementation, conflict resolution and monitoring, short- and medium-term training courses in land-related areas will be provided to central and local government staff, including in alternative conflict resolution methods. In the longer-term, university and technical schools training programs will be set up to ensure a qualified and sustainable workforce in land administration and land governance. • Sub-component 1.3: Digital transformation of land administration (US$ 5 million). To reduce the number of steps and costs involved in registering land rights and increase land administration efficiency, technical assistance will be provided to enhance the legal framework and streamline land sector procedures by re-engineering business processes. Based on these improvements, the existing Land Information System (LIS) will be upgraded to ensure greater reliability, efficiency and transparency in the administration of land rights. Interoperability with other IT systems will be designed to ensure seamless integration with interconnected public services, including personal identification, property taxation, and land dispute resolution. • Sub-component 1.4: Geospatial information management (US$ 5 million). This subcomponent will aim to strengthen the National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI) for enhanced management of geospatial information by (i) strengthening institutional coordination and governance around geographic information; (ii) acquiring satellite imagery to support land demarcation; and (iii) upgrading the geodetic network. Component 2: Land registration (US$ 50 million). This component aims to formalize and secure land ownership and/or use rights through the following key activities: (i) carry out public awareness raising campaigns to inform the population of their land rights and the project’s activities, and undertake targeted consultation for vulnerable groups (women, youth, pastoralists and migrants) or their representatives in urban and rural areas; (ii) collect, digitize and standardize existing documentation on land rights and restrictions, including land ownership and use rights, protected areas, etc. (iii) conduct systematic land ownership and/or use rights registration campaigns in selected areas, especially where rural or urban investment are planned, and issue land certificates; and (iv) supporting a mechanism to facilitate the settlement of land disputes as well as other project related claims . Component 3: Research and multi-stakeholder policy dialogue (US$ 5 million). The objectives of this component are to promote a more transparent and inclusive land governance by: (i) building a multistakeholder dialogue platform to contribute to the revision of the legal and regulatory framework for land administration, bringing together representatives from government agencies, civil society, academia and the private sector; (ii) establishing an independent, national land observatory to carry out analytical work on the land sector and inform evidence-based policy dialogue and decision-making; and (iii) promoting research in the land sector to foster fit-for-purpose innovations for more inclusive, transparent and efficient land administration. The proposed Development Objective is to increase the overall efficiency of land administration services and accelerate land rights registration in selected areas. |
