Benin builds future-proof land administration
Benin is taking big steps towards a modern, digital land administration. In September our board member Cora Smelik visited the country and distributed certificates of presumed ownership to a number of women. A crucial step towards economic independence and social equality.
A system in progress
Besides this festive moment, Cora Smelik met with several key stakeholders in the Beninese land administration chain. Benin has been working towards a modern, digital land administration since 2018 with at its core the digital system e-Foncier Bénin (e-FB). This system is developed by Agence Nationale du Domaine et du Foncier (ANDF) with support from Dutch partners (MDF Consultancy, VNG International and Kadaster) and the Dutch embassy.
Over 530,000 plots registered
The e-FB system visualizes property information and plot boundaries digitally. This speeds up processes and makes them more transparent. For the first time, Benin has a uniform, up-to-date map linked to legal data. So far Benin has registered the presumed ownership of over 530,000 plots in 12 municipalities. This was done with special attention to and active input from vulnerable groups such as women, youth and small farmers.
A steppingstone to formal land titles
Registration of presumed ownership is an important step toward obtaining formal land titles (Titre Foncier), which offer the highest level of legal security. Once registered, the presumed owner receives a Certificat d'Enregistrement au Cadastre (CEC). Since April of this year, legislation allows this certificate to be transferred to another presumed owner. Municipalities are responsible for keeping track of these transactions. Local teams have been trained to enable this.
Moving forward with financial support
Besides financial support from the Dutch Embassy, the World Bank is also investing substantially in the development of land administration in Benin. This will enable Benin to take big steps towards a cadaster on a national level.
More information
- For more information, please visit our Benin project page.
- The Benenise television news recently aired an item on the certificate system. You can watch the episode in French on YouTube.