Foundation for Sustainable Land
Information Management Reengineering
in Developing Countries
FEATURED PAPER
Chicheta Francis Nissi a
Oluchi Adeline Diala a
and
Nonso Izuchukwu Ewurum b
a Department of Estate Management, University of Uyo, Akwa Ibom, Nigeria
b Department of Estate Management, University of Nigeria Nsukka, Nigeria
Abstract
In light of the currently experienced land titling irregularities, tenure insecurity, fraudulent practices, and document processing delays of land administration in developing countries, a compendium of empiricisms heighten instaurations of the Internet of Things digitalization hypothesis in the management of land information. At present, this thrust is accentuating globally, and rightly so, given the spate of interest in adoption of disruptive technologies for sustainable land administration. However, what is yet unknown is the potentials of cryptographic blockchain technology in sustainable land information management (LIM) in developing countries. We aim to present new research perspectives on the issues of blockchain integration in LIM using a mixed-methods approach. Our methodology employed e-questionnaire to elicit data from a sample frame of 323 LIM staff in Nigeria, which was further subjected to analysis using One-Sample t-test. Our findings show the blockchain applications to sustainable LIM, while identifying plausible challenges encroaching on its adoption. Recommendations presented strategies for attenuating the challenges while offering pertinent research insights for further studies on the discourse.
Keywords: Blockchain, Sustainability, Land administration, Management Information System, Land titling irregularities, IoT.
Land Information Management: An Overview
Land is not just ‘the’ constant in the existence of all living creatures, it is also hugely consequential to its survival. This is consistent with Umeh’s (1973) view that when one touches on land, you touch on everything in the society. By this assertion, it becomes immediately clear that every human endeavour revolves around this entity but also presents a perturbing reality when this indispensability is juxtaposed with the fact that the resulting demand significantly, continuously and unsustainably trumps the available supply. The implication then, is that efficient management of land resources becomes enormously paramount, and this conclusion forms the premise of land administration and management.
The conceptualization of the land administration notion by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe in 1993 was partly inspired by the work of De Soto on the socioeconomic significance of land titling, culminating in the conceptuality that land administration represents “the process of determining, recording and disseminating information about ownership, value and use of land and its associated resources”. A key takeaway from this assertion is the criticality of information to the land administration process which equally deems land information management as an essential obligation.
In the development of their land information management system, Civix defined land information management (LIM) as the “tracking and documentation of data, stakeholder correspondence, and reporting of metrics through all phases of the process”. From an empirical standpoint, McLaughlin (1990) in Dale (1991) extrapolates LIM as the “effective use of information in the acquisition, development, use and conservation of land resources” (McLaughlin, 1990 in Dale, 1991). While a perusal of both submissions delineates their similarity and clarity, it also evokes a host of other questions such as – to what end is LIM? In this respect, we argue that a considerable goal of LIM is the ease of referencing associated with availability and accessibility of ‘approved information or data’.
Kurwakumire (2014) concurs with this position with the assertion that “to achieve betterment in land management, there is need for accurate, reliable and up-to-date land information.” Yet, as easy as it sounds, institutional operationalization of this cogitation presents a cornucopia of systematic and idiosyncratic hindrances that range from infrastructural deficit, rising operational costs, technological and environmental metamorphosis, political interference, customer dissatisfaction amongst others. Morenikeji et al. (2017) decomposed these challenges into difficulties and delays in land title processing, inefficient regulatory requirements as represented by the Nigerian Land Use Act (1978), inadequate application monitoring, coordination and follow-up, erroneous survey plans, poor state of record keeping, and corruption. Persistence of these contorted impetuses by land administration agencies in developing countries, presents a no-brainer to the possibilities of a preponderance of these challenges with demographic expansions.
The World Bank (2007) identifies the criticality of these challenges to economic development in developing countries with the acknowledgement of the essentiality of efficiently managing land information to tenure security, investment, small-holder-based development and poverty reduction. To transform the narrative for developing nations, there is the dire need for the adoption of a number of improvement practices. Nwokike (2019) toes this line with the avowal that “with increasing globalization, the need for digitalization is becoming ever more necessary in every aspect of land administration and information management for reliability, accessibility, currency and accuracy”. With the seeming current quagmirical state of affairs, it indeed becomes more evident that the search for a technology that simplifies land information management complexity, and offers a pathway to rapidly accessible, yet tamper-proof information is vital for economic development.
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How to cite this paper: Last name, initials (2021). Disruptive Technologies: Foundation for Sustainable Land Information Management Reengineering in Developing Countries; PM World Journal, Vol. X, Issue VII, July. Available online at https://pmworldlibrary.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/pmwj107-Jul2021-Nissi-Diala-Ewurum-disruptive-technologies-for-land-information-management.pdf
About the Authors
Dr. Chichetta F. Nissi
Uyo, Nigeria
Dr. (Mrs.) Chicheta Francis Nissi holds both Masters and Doctor of Philosophy Degrees in Estate Management from Nnamdi Azikiwe, Awka, Anambra State in Nigeria with areas of research interests in Real Estate Investment Analysis, Property Valuation and Management. She is an Associate of the Nigerian Institution of Estate Surveyors and Valuers, and a registered Estate Surveyor and Valuer. ESV. Chicheta. F. Nissi is a lecturer in the Department of Estate Management, University of Uyo, Uyo and can be contacted at nissifrancis@uniuyo.edu.com and nissiestate22@gmail.com
Dr. Oluchi A. Diala
Uyo, Nigeria
Dr. (Mrs.) Oluchi Adeline Diala attended Federal Government College, Okigwe Nigeria after which she proceeded to Abia State University Uturu where she obtained her B.Sc, M.Sc and P.Hd degrees. She is an associate member of the Nigerian Institution of Estate Surveyors and Valuers as well a registered surveyor and valuer. She is currently a lecturer in the University of Uyo, Nigeria and can be contacted at dialaadeline@uniuyo.edu.ng and diala.oluchi@yahoo.com
Nonso I. Ewurum, PhD
Nsukka, Nigeria
Nonso Izuchukwu Ewurum holds a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Estate Management, obtained from the Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Anambra, Nigeria, in addition to a Masters’ Degree in the same course of study from the University of Nigeria. In his over 10 years lecturing experience, he has published in more than 15 International journals and presented more than 6 papers in conferences. The scope of his research mostly covers topics in Housing delivery, Economics and sustainable development. His last conference paper was presented at the just concluded 2021 Pacific Rim Real Estate Society Conference. His research has targeted current national and global issues ranging from housing deficit, gender stereotyping and disaster vulnerability of women, property market analysis, stakeholder management, the place of women in global disaster risk mitigation, amongst others. Some of his works have resulted in new insights with sustainable environmental impact assessment, stakeholder management models, sustainable seaport facility management using building information modeling technology, capacity needs assessment for sustainable housing delivery in developing countries, business engineering in property management, amongst others. Currently, he serves as Advisory Board member of Boldscolar Inc.. an online book and journal publishing Company at www.boldscholar.com. Email: nonso.ewurum@unn.edu.ng Website: https://researchgate.net/profile/Nonso-Ewurum-2 and boldscholar.com/nonsoewurum.
