Urban Management Land Information System (UMLIS) project in Ghana Presentation at World Urban Forum V Room W Rio De Janeiro, Brasil 23 March 2010 Kofi Yeboah

 Population: 18 million inhabitants (last census March 2000)  Capital: Accra (1,7 million inhabitants) more people during the day  Land area 173km sq

 Customary Land (80 %) and Governmental Land (20 %)  Leasehold /Freehold/Informal  Land sector agencies  Local authorities Property Rates % of value Ground Rent Land Administration in Ghana

 Urbanisation  Expanding municipal activities  Poor & isolated record management  No geographical reference  Low revenue collection rates  Poor infrastructural development Current Situation of Local Authorities

Typical Situation of Property Owners  Poor community service development  Informal ownership of property  Insecurity of land tenure  Difficult to find financial means  Non-transparency of property collection  Poor information on person

Information on Land for Co-ordinated Urban Management Parcels Addresses Sanitation Transport Utility Services Land use Revenue Healthcare Education Population Housing/Real Estate Commerce Industry Housing etc… Most information has co-ordinate

Information Sources versus Holistic Urban Management Population Population Authorities Buildings, Use, Permit, Addresses,Planning Schemes, etc Local Authorities Parcel, Valuation, Title, Land Owner,Tunure Land Sector Agencies Transport / Roads Road Department Health National Health Service Water, Electricity, Postal etc Utility Companies Other urban service Initiatives Partners/Service Providers Education National Education Services

Local Authorities Land Sector Agencies Land Information Parcel, Valuation, Land Owner Addresses Planning Schemes Buildings Owner, Use, Permit etc Utility/Infrastructural Services Other data Other Agencies and Organisations

Donor inflows/ loans/grants etc… One time leap support Not sustainable

Implementation Strategy  Develop UMLIS and test in a pilot scale  Full scale implementation in Accra  Replicate UMLIS to other municipalities  Additional functionalities

Objectives of the UMLIS Pilot Project,  Develop and test UMLIS in a pilot scale  Develop a platform for Urban Management at AMA  Develop an application for collection of property rates  Support and strengthen AMA through capacity building

Pilot Area Ayawaso -Area 36.6 km 2 -No of properties Population Urban area Well defined Planed and informal settlements Public- and customary land tenure Movement in land (holding) owners Different land use

 Project management  Capacity building  Data capture  System development/pilot test Pilot Activities

Involving Local People  Community leaders meetings  Property owners sensitization  Collection of information  Showcase of the system

 150 properties in planned and informal settlement areas  Register customers and buildings  Public awareness  Print and deliver bills  Register payments and do follow-ups Pilot testing UMLIS in November – December 2009

Results from the pilot test  Inconsistencies in data were found when bringing information from various sources together:  About 40 % of the buildings not valued.  Many buildings constructed outside parcels.  Poor ownership information.  About 45 % paid so far. Reminders will be sent out in April.  People in slum area more willing to pay property rates.  Collaboration is important.

SDI Objective: Improve living condition of slum dwellers -Collect social economical data/year -Register people in the area -Analyse what people need -Advocacy role to protect the people Example of Collaboration: UMLIS and Slum Dwellers International (SDI) Information about people Maps UMLIS Financial support

Example of Collaboration: UMLIS and banks Value Banks Valuation Agency Checking of property details Credit

 Quality of data will increase  Transparency in property taxation  People will start paying property rates  Banks and other agencies will begin to rely on the data  Infrastructure development will commence Gradually Changes

Next Step: Full-scale Implementation in Accra - sourcing for funds Expected property rates collection today: 35 % of MUSD Increase after implementing UMLIS : 15 % units/year up to 80 % Repayment of 10 Million USD 2015 Repayment of Investment Repayment to people