The consortium formed by IGN FI and Geosystems has begun land certification and support to land tenure offices in Madagascar in the regions of Amoron’i Mania, Haute Mahatsiatra, Vakinankaratra, Analamanga, Bongolava and Itasy.
The project is financed by the World Bank and will be carried out by the Management Unit of the Agricultural Growth and Land Tenure Security Project (CASEF), under the aegis of the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MINAE) and the Ministry of Land Management and Land Services (MATSF) as the technical supervisor of the land tenure security operation.
Its goal is to issue a total of 346,000 land certificates at the end of the 13-month project.
To reach this ambitious goal, the IGN FI and Geosystems teams have been fully mobilised for more than two months and are continuing their ramp-up. In total, 5 experts/project managers of international dimension are mobilised to help with the realisation of the project. They are supported by a highly qualified national and regional management staff as well as more than 1,000 agents recruited throughout the project area.
Our experts are currently on mission to define the technical itinerary with the teams and set up the tools, then train the field workers in their use.
The use of tablets and GEOSIF, developed by GEOFIT and implemented by IGN FI on similar projects, will facilitate operations in the field. Concrete actions have already begun in the field, with the reception of the first 1,000 certificate requests in one day in two fokontany of the commune of Ampitatafika (Vakinankaratra region). Other operations will follow, at a high pace!
As in many countries, land certification is a crucial issue in Madagascar. By formalising customary and acquired rights, this project will enable landowners to obtain land certificates, thus guaranteeing their rights as occupants and owners of this land. The objective is also to promote the sustainable development of the land by allowing investments (for example, access to banking and financial services) and social appeasement (the vast majority of local disputes are about land).