Norwegian land tools relevant to Africa

This book is a result of a workshop on Norwegian land tools relevant to Africa presented by the Centre for Property Rights and Development of the Norwegian Mapping and Cadastre Authority. The workshop held on 3-4 May 2007 in Oslo had a specific emphasis on recognition and registration of a wide range of tenure systems in urban and rural areas, gender and land related issues, experiences on collective land rights, and indigenous people’s rights.

The different seminars conducted were as follows:

• Chris Maina Peter - from Norway to Africa with lessons on development of a land tenure as a means of addressing the Millennium Development Goals
• Hastings W. O. Okoth-Ogendo - the last colonial question: an essay in the pathology of land administration systems in Africa 
• Hans Sevatdal - land administration in Norway 
• Henrik Wiig, Berit Aasen, Ingrid Wang Andersen, Racha Maktabi, Nsama Nsemiwe, Daniela O. Fuentes - women’s legal rights to land property in Norway – relevant lessons for the African titling processes 
• Gro Ween - indigenous land rights in Norway: does Norwegian land rights developments have relevance for Africa 
• Erling Berge - collective land rights: can Africa learn anything from Norwegian practices 
• Edward Robbins, Sven Erik Svendsen - urban tenure and land rights: the challenge for Norwegian Policy and Practice
  

According to the book legal empowerment of the poor has recently been set on the international as well as on the Norwegian development agenda. Tools that improve poor people’s access to land and security of tenure have therefore become central elements to this.

The book further points out that land issues are complex and highly contentious and must be addressed as a political challenge related to fighting poverty. Formalising property rights should be analysed within complex and varying social and historical contexts. Land distribution is often a key issue. However, in many developing countries it is also a challenge to reform existing land related services to make them accessible to poor dwellers as well as to poor businessmen and women.

In conclusion the book states that Norway has internationally been recognised as having an efficient land sector including land registration services that are accessible to all, fast, transparent, un-bureaucratic and relatively cheap. Norwegian solutions have evolved in a historical and social context and can thus not be blueprinted, but elements of the Norwegian system could inspire improvements of the land sector in developing countries.