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Access to Land

Objective

The objective of this component is "To ensure a secure access to land through an efficient land administration in order to facilitate investment and the creation of a real estate market using land as an asset convertible to cash".

The project will last for five (5) years and will cost 36,020,000 US dollars (18, 55 billion francs CFA), which is about 11.7% of the total budget of the program. It represents 23.6% of the year 1 budget.

Expected Results

  • A new national land policy framework to be defined and adopted ("White Paper" on land and national land policy declaration)
  • 30,000 occupancy permits are converted to land titles in the urban areas and 75,000 land certificates formalizing property titles in 300 villages are delivered.
  • 12 regional land conservation offices are created and functional within the 12 departments of Benin.
  • 24 communal land management offices are created within the 24 communes 12 of which have cadastral information system.

- The land reform is popularized and the vulnerable groups are informed, trained and their rights protected.

- The management capacity of the stakeholders of the land reform is strengthened.

Activities

The major activities of the project are:

- Definition and implementation of the land policy and legal reforms with

  • Preparatory studies for land policy reforms
  • Development, formalization and dissemination of the new land policy framework in Benin.

- Formalization of property rights with:

  • the expansion of registration of land rights in urban areas
  • expansion of the formalization of land rights in rural areas
  • the improvement of cartographic and topographic capacities
  • the improvement of socio-economic change management and conflict resolutions capacities

- Improvement of the land registration and land information management services with:

  • deconcentration of the national land registration services
  • decentralization of land administration
  • design and establishment of an electronic national land market data system
  • technical assistance for the training and management of registration operations and parcel-based systems.

- Information - Education and Communication (IEC) with:

  • the creation of broad awareness, and understanding of the land policy reform and how it affects the rights of citizens, new processes and services, gender considerations, the land market and access to credit.
  • design of training strategy precedent to the implementation of any registration activity, land information and services .

- Support coordination of strategies and programs

  • strengthening of MCA-BENIN management staff with a professional group dedicated to coordination and reform management.
  • establishment and convocation of an "Advisory and Steering Group" for periodic consultations on the implementation of the land project.
  • Convening of discussions groups on each of the preparatory studies to the reform of land policies, White Paper, and corresponding legal reforms
  • Selection of villages for the implementation of project activities on the basis of criteria defined by MCA-Benin and submitted to MCC for approval.
  • building the capacity of the National Land Commission for the transformation of Occupancy Permit (PH) into Land titles (TF) while providing resources and guidance with the view to enhancing the quality and quantity of work to be done.

Beneficiaries

The beneficiaries of the Project are:

  • an estimated 115,000 rural and urban households who will own more secure and useful tenure
  • Women who will see their land rights strengthened due to the implementation of the Family Code
  • Citizens of the three (3) major cities and 17 other towns will have their occupancy permits converted to land titles
  • The population of 300 villages or 83,000 families will receive a land certificate which can subsequently be converted into a land title;
  • Other rural land users (farmers who do not own lands, women, youths) who do not have full property rights but rather have registered capitalization agreements
  • Investors /city planners and companies
  • Benin Government and all communes
  • The 24 communes covered by the program
  • All holders of other proofs of property (agreements of sale, attestations).

Conditions for Success

  • To implement policy, procedure and other legal reforms recommended by the various assessments carried out and approved;
  • To approve and adopt the land policy defined in the "White Paper" developed within the framework of the project
  • To revise the laws, regulations and administrative procedures required to remove the constraints related to the use of land as collateral;
  • To undertake measures to improve the enforcement of the Family Code, Rural Code, and other legislation as identified in the gender strategy , in accordance with the policy which recognizes and protects women's right to land; and
  • To undertake measures to ensure that property taxes do not discourage registration of land transactions and to preserve them against excessive tax burdens.