Dr. Gad Asorwoe Akwensivie
A Land governance expert and legal practitioner, Dr. Gad Asorwoe Akwensivie, has said a workable shift system will go a long in helping the Lands Commission in clearing the huge backlog of land registration applications pending at the Commission resulting from the long turn-around time for completing land registrations.
According to him, the shift system would enable the Office of the Administrator of Stool Lands and the Lands Commission to clear the backlog of applications at the Survey & Mapping, the Public & Vested Land Management, the Valuation and the Land Registration Divisions of the Commission.
Dr. Akwensivie was speaking at the 2024 Annual Real Estate Society Conference in Livingstone, Zambia, on September 10-13 on solutions to Africa’s land governance challenges.
This year’s conference brought together over 1000 participants from across the continent and across the globe to discuss and present innovative solutions to real estate challenges under the theme, ‘Smart Cities in Africa for the 21st Century.’
He said some applications for searches and title registrations have taken more than a year to complete and that incorporating a shift system into the standard operating procedure of the Land Use and Spatial Planning Authority, the Office of the Administrator of Stool Lands and the Lands Commission would not only help clear the backlog, but help to shorten the turn-around time for service delivery, and thereby enable the public sector to serve clients better.
Dr. Akwensivie said this would help improve the country’s competitiveness in attracting Foreign Direct Investment as the Lands Commission in particular plays a crucial role in the nation’s development due to the nature of the services it renders such as application for lease on state land and title and deeds registration.
He said if these services can be rendered quickly, investors can make informed decisions on land faster and that would boost local and foreign investment.
He drew on lessons from developed countries implementing the shift system and concluded that it can be a game changer if implemented well.
BY Gibril Abdul Razak