AFRIGIST chats path to easy land registration, administration

African Regional Institute for Geospatial Information Science and Technology (AFRIGIST) is making efforts to ensure that land registration and administration become cost-effective.

This is in a bid to develop capacity of professionals working in land administration and cadastral management, as well as draw a new roadmap for cost-effective land registration in West Africa.

It, therefore, organised a training workshop for over 24 participants from different African countries.

Executive director of AFRIGIST, Dr. Adewale Akingbade, in a statement made available to The Guardian, disclosed that the workshop would enable participants identify common and specific issues relating to land administration in their respective countries, propose workable solutions for specific contexts, and most importantly forge a lasting network of professionals where continuous discussion and deliberations would take place.

The training, which was in conjunction with the School of Land Administration Studies of the University of Twente, and the Dutch Kadaster, which is The Netherlands Kadaster, Land Registry and Mapping Agency, took place at the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, Osun State.

Participants were tutored on topics bordering on land administration in AFRIGIST member states and land administration experiences in Africa, new innovative tools and approaches to land registration and titling, and hands-on on SOLA and QGIS software.

Chairman of Presidential Technical Committee on Land Reform (PTCLR), Prof. Peter Adeniyi, who noted that the training exposed participants to latest developments and practices in land administration globally, applauded AFRIGIST for its contribution to land administration in Nigeria through capacity building and technical assistance.

He charged participants to relate the discussions and exchanges in the workshop with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and to come up with pragmatic approaches towards implementing Goal 11, which is to make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable, adding that particular attention should be given to Goal 11.3, which seeks to enhance inclusive and sustainable urbanisation and capacity for participatory, integrated and sustainable human settlement planning and management in all countries.

Surveyor-general of the federation and first representative of Nigeria on AFRIGIST governing council, Ebisintei Awudu, said the workshop was timely for the country because of the cardinal objective of diversification of agriculture and solid minerals.