Page 81 - ITU-T Focus Group Digital Financial Services – Executive Summary

2.3 ICT aspects of the land register

A modern land administration system is automated and digitised. 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 re-engineering of the 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 technical as well as 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 computerisation of the land registry. This computerisation is also
meant to improve the turnaround time for doing business in the land sector. An electronic system is an
adequate prevention against fraud and unauthorised changes in the registration.
Digitisation 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 is 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 digitised land register is a crucial part of the desired
infrastructure.
The digitisation 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 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 a new land administration systems:
– determination of user needs and existing land registers;
– creation of new administrative arrangements;
– preparation of (re)new(ed) legislation;

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