GIS Diffusion in Ghana's Land Sector Agencies, involving the Design of a Pilot Project for the Lands Commission Secretariat, Accra

School of Geography, University of Leeds


Student

Isaac Karikari

Supervisors

Steve Carver
John Stillwell

Summary

In June 1999, The Government of Ghana (GOG) launched a new land policy document. This seeks to address some fundamental problems associated with land administration and management in the country. The document catalogues a number of problems one of which relate to a weak land administration system and the need to introduce computer-aided information systems in the 'lands sector'. In 2001, the Government made proposals to prepare and implement a Land Administration Programme (LAP) to provide a better platform for evolving an effective and efficient land administration that would translate the National Land Policy into action. The LAP recognises that such land administration programme requires a long-term approach of 20 years and more. The proposed project is consistent with the World Bank's Country Assistance Strategy of March 2000 for Ghana. As expected, an up-to-date LIS that supports good management of land records is to be constructed and this provides the context for this research. The research, that is empirically based, uses a suite of methodologies to elicit and determine the information requirements of the Accra Lands Commission Secretariat (LCS) in GIS adoption and use. It develops a selected features prototype 'LANDADMIN' as a prelude to the design and adoption of a pilot project for the Accra Secretariat, while placing this within a broader institutional framework.

Publications

Karikari I., Stillwell J. H. and Carver S. (2002) Land administration and GIS: The case of Ghana. Progress in Development Studies, forthcoming

Karikari I., Stillwell J. H. and Carver S. (2002) The application of GIS to support land administration services in Ghana. Paper presented at GISRUK2002 Conference in Sheffield (ABSTRACT) (Full paper to be submitted for publication).:

Karikari I., Stillwell J. H. and Carver S. (2002) GIS application to support land administration services in Ghana: institutional factors and technical developments, Working Paper 02/xx, School of Geography, University of Leeds, Leeds.


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