‘Use of ICT in land administration imperative’

In an interview in Lagos, Nubi said that the use of information and communication technology would help reduce the bottlenecks and lack of information facing the industry.“Dysfunctions like weak land markets, conflicts over ownership, land grabs, social disharmony, reductions in yields, diminished food security and negative impacts on the environment.He noted that ICT could play […]

In an interview in Lagos, Nubi said that the use of information and communication technology would help reduce the bottlenecks and lack of information facing the industry.
“Dysfunctions like weak land markets, conflicts over ownership, land grabs, social disharmony, reductions in yields, diminished food security and negative impacts on the environment.
He noted that ICT could play a fundamental role in improving the operation of land administration and in making information more readily available in support of land markets and urban and rural economic development.
Nubi, a former head of department of Estate Management at the University of Lagos, said ICT could provide innovative outreach channels to the poor and disadvantaged, to ensure that land administration and its benefits were more inclusive and pro-poor.
“ICT in land administration can create accurate, accessible, secure, and complete information about land and property in an efficient way that promotes confidence between the public, its commercial enterprises and governments,” he said.
Nubi, who is also founder of Ideal Habitat Initiative, said ICT could also play a crucial role in sharing and analysing land information among agencies and in communicating and testing change scenarios with the citizens involved.
“Countries fortunate to have mature ICT infrastructures have established e-planning portals that allow citizens to access land-use control information, including access to zoning development plans and so much more,” he said.
Nubi said ICT can support the entire life cycle of land reform, from identification of current owners and patterns of land tenure through the analysis of reallocation options to the provision of land registration.
“ICT can be used to identify owners, extent of ownership, land use and land values, in areas where land consolidation is planned and calculate levels of compensation when necessary.
“It helps in planning new infrastructure such as roads, underground services such as drainage, and other subsurface and above-surface utilities,” he said.