Page 40 - Enhancing innovation and participation in smart sustainable cities
P. 40
United for Smart Sustainable Cities
Enhancing Innovation and Participation
Ways of involving the private sector should also be evaluated. Many countries apply legislation under which field
surveys are undertaken by private licensed surveyors. Databases can physically be operated by private data
centres, under contract with the relevant public authority.
2.3 ICT aspects of the land register
A modern land administration system is automated and digitized. The business processes should be supported by
ICT systems as much as possible and all the information, whether it is records, textual data or maps should be
digitized.
Developing a digital land registration system requires the re-engineering of existing processes, to enable electronic
recording and submission of transactions in real estate, as well as verifying the authenticity of deeds that underlay
such transactions. This requires changes at both the technical and legal levels. The governments of the countries
in this case study, in their drive to establish e-government services in various public departments, have embarked
on the computerization of the land registry. This computerization is also meant to improve the turnaround time
for doing business in the land sector. An electronic system can be adequate prevention against fraud and
unauthorized changes in registration.
Digitization can also be seen as one of the pre-cursors of achieving the goals of e-government. The benefits of a
country with a land register are greatly enhanced if most of its services are automated and therefore can be quickly
accessed. As government embarks on the road to e-government, there is need in the land sector to prepare
infrastructure to make this achievable; the digitized land register is a crucial part of the desired infrastructure.
The digitization of land registry is eminent and an electronic information portal will ensure that land information
is accessible and transparent to all citizens, institutions and businesses. The electronic systems will necessitate
amendments in the law with regard to the mandate of the land registry and how land records must be submitted
and what is admissible as evidence of submission, etc.
2.4 Observations
Establishing a new land registry system may be closely linked to land reform and the privatization of land. It is,
however, difficult to identify mechanisms whereby the initial establishment of a land information system can be
financed through user fees only. Countries should regard the initial establishment of their system as a long-term
public investment in infrastructure, with user fees covering only a portion of the total costs of setting up the
system. The costs of maintaining the system that result from land transactions, land subdivisions, etc. can however
be fully recovered through fees.
3 Conclusions
3.1 What steps are to be taken?
Based on the experience in countries involved in the “Fit-For-Purpose” land register in Africa, it is recommended
that an overall steering committee be established with representatives of the relevant ministries, agencies and
users, to examine the need for information and to coordinate land information management activities and
implementation projects. The following series of operations must be addressed when introducing new land
administration systems:
determination of user needs and existing land registers;
creation of new administrative arrangements;
preparation of (re)new(ed) legislation;
determination of what land and property rights already exist;
demarcation and survey of new plots of land;
establishment of new registers and procedures for storing and retrieving land data;
placement of new financial management procedures;
development of public awareness on why a registration is needed and how the system works.
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