Better Land Management in Botswana Through an Integrated Electronic Land Management System Mr. Thato Raphaka - Ministry of Land Management, Water and Sanitation Services Dr. Niko Zorkin- ENKON Information Systems Mr. Kent Nilsson - Lantmäteriet

Key Objectives for Land Management Guarantee ownership and security for Tribal, State and Free-Hold Lands Efficient and Effective Land Services to the Botswana Citizens Timely Management of Land Disputes and Appeals Security for Credit Facilities Support other Government Services (Property Taxation, etc.)

Past Challenges Three Tenure Systems have Different Legislation All Tribal Land is not Surveyed and Registered Customer Satisfaction Levels are not at Acceptable Levels Delays in the Land Administration Processes National Land Accounting is Difficult While the design and implementation of the LIS has to-date helped the Government of Botswana achieve its commitment to establishing new land management processes, there were and are many associated challenges including: Ensuring that governmental staff are committed to the changes necessary There is a sufficient budget to implement and sustain the project The involved parties fully understand each other and appreciate their differences Changes to existing legislation are made to facilitate the turning of paper processes into electronic ones Information entered into the system is accurate, definitive and unimpeachable Such challenges have and will continue to be overcome with continual dialogue between all parties involved with the design and implementation of the LIS

Root Causes for Land Administration Issues Multiple Systems with Little Integration Silo-oriented – different procedures used for the same business processes No Dedicated Land Information Technology Organization Lacking communication across agencies

Key Objectives of a New System Land Administration must be: Harmonized Standardized Integrated Cost Effective Transparent Help centralize and consolidate land management processes while allowing new land management processes to be established at scale. Despite numerous proposed benefits such as on-line registration of lots, electronic land title transfers and simpler allocation of lots to citizens, the success of this LIS is partly contingent upon local commitment at all levels of government and hands-on-work within Botswana. The result will be a fit-for-purpose LIS that is believed to be critical to the long-term development of the country through the implementation of efficient and scalable land management processes.

Key Considerations Harmonize Land Laws Compulsory Registration of All Land All Land needs to be Surveyed Use of Land including Customary Lands as Collateral Harmonization of IT Systems Changes to existing legislation to facilitate the turning of paper processes into electronic ones Historical land rights such as Title Deeds and Tribal Land Certificates existed only in hard copy formats at the start of the project Information needed to be converted into an electronic form suitable for uploading into the LIS in a highly accurate and efficient manner Allocating already stressed resources in the various government departments and the Land Boards and Sub-Land Boards who manage Tribal Land was challenging Well-defined procedures that could be replicated easily through these organizations and using contracted resources were used to overcome this challenge

How Was it Done? Collaboration was needed between: The Ministry of Land Management, Water and Sanitation Services and other Government Ministries ENKON Information Systems - A software development company from Canada Lantmäteriet, the Swedish Mapping, Cadastral and Land Registration authority These partners have provided the leadership and capacity building that is required for the long term success of the LIS including support and training in areas such as land management policy, test and quality assurance, security, and database administration These partners will continue to be involved with the operation and maintenance of the system.

What Did the Partners Bring to the Table? The partners provided the leadership and capacity building in areas such as: Land management policy Legal Frameworks Software Design and Development Test and Quality Assurance Security Database administration These partners have provided the leadership and capacity building that is required for the long term success of the LIS including support and training in areas such as land management policy, test and quality assurance, security, and database administration These partners will continue to be involved with the operation and maintenance of the system.

What was the Project? Software Development Program for an Electronic Land Information System Integration with Other Government Systems Migration of Existing Data (e.g., scanning of Deeds) Survey of all Land in the country Training Long Term Support from Partners Multi

SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT LIS PACKAGES Mapping Physical Plan Register Deeds Registry Plot and Plan Registry Land Applications Land Transactions Lease Management Seven initial packages Two future packages will include the Land Tribunal for Disputes

Integration Importance is placed on integrating the LIS with the many other government systems such as: Tax National identity Electoral Commission Financial systems GIS Systems

Benefits of Integration Reinforcing anticorruption policies Enhancing detection of unlawful activities Producing statistical data for better decision making Easier sharing of land information between agencies

Migration of Existing Data The most challenging aspect of the project to-date has been the administration of legacy data Historical land rights such as Title Deeds and Tribal Land Certificates existed only in hard copy formats Information needed to be converted into an electronic form suitable for uploading into the LIS in a highly accurate and efficient manner

Change Management Ensuring that governmental staff are committed to the changes necessary Managing the Change There is a sufficient budget to implement and sustain the project The involved parties fully understand each other and appreciate their differences Commit to Long Term Support

Resulting Benefits of the LIS A Web Based (electronic) LIS Centralized and Consolidated Land Management Processes Across All Departments Consistent Approach to Land Management Full Integration with Other Government Systems Supported Electronic Land Title Transfers The LIS will result in knowing: Who owns what; Where do they own it; and, What is the Land Used for. Address the country's short-term needs Have the capacity to grow as new land management policies and procedures are established Result in better harmonization, standardization and integration of reliable, cost effective and transparent land management processes Improve service delivery to the public The LIS will change how land management is addressed within the country as a whole through a streamlined "fit for purpose" computerized system that will cater to the country's needs now and in the future

Questions?