Interrogating Land Administration Procedures and Systems Implementation in Africa: Evidence from Botswana

Abstract

To ensure proper administration of land in Botswana, the Government of Botswana adopted Land Administration Procedures Capacity and Systems (LAPCAS). With this system, all land in the country must be registered using digital means. Despite this unique effort to improve land administration, the implementation of the policy has faced various challenges. This research explored the challenges in the implementation of LAPCAS to propose alternative ways that the Ministry of Lands and Water Affairs (MLWA) could adopt to improve the situation. This study adopted a systematic literature review approach for data collection and analysis. Although LAPCAS generated some positive impacts, it has experienced more challenges than anticipated. Challenges, including loopholes and delays, resource constraints and poor coordination, characterised the implementation of LAPCAS. These challenges have hampered the government’s overall efforts to address concerns associated with the ownership and control of land in the country. Consequently, the researchers have called for the development of a new land administration framework that is anchored on the core issues inherent in the Framework for Effective Land Administration (FELA). The tenets of the FELA have been identified as critical to developing a better alternative land administration framework that the MLWA can employ to deal with challenges in the implementation of LAPCAS in Botswana. This research helps to expand the existing literature on policy actions, programmes and frameworks for effective land administration, especially in the context of Botswana.

Keywords

• development
• land resource
• land administration procedures
• capacity
• systems