Technical Support Towards the Systematic, Low-Cost, National Land Titling Programme

Project Narrative

Technical assistance was provided during the design phase to support the acceleration of systematic, low-cost land titling in support of the National Land Titling Programme and National Land Audit Programme. This technical support formed part of a World Bank scoping mission to:  

1. Identify regulatory issues to be addressed. Determine, together with the Government of Zambia and with input from core stakeholders, the regulatory issues that need to be addressed before establishing an urban land registration/regularisation pilot.
2. Develop a draft outline for a ‘Manual for Regularisation’ of urban land. Seek agreement with the Government of Zambia on the key elements to be addressed by a ‘Manual for Regularisation’, as well as a timetable and distribution of responsibilities for developing this manual.
3. Design pilots. Four pilots are anticipated, with one undertaken in a major city, one in a secondary city and two located in district centres. Pilots are anticipated to extend to approximately 4000 parcels each, depending on whether informal settlements are included or not. Key elements of designing the pilots will include agreeing the scope of pilots, selecting locations where these can be implemented with minimal delay, agreeing a time frame for implementation and developing a rigorous monitoring and evaluation framework for evaluation of impact.
4. Identify funding needs and opportunities. Agree a draft budget for the pilots and identify possible funding avenues for further/ongoing work.
5. Scope revenue potential study. Discuss a time frame and data requirements for a study to estimate the revenue potential that could be realised from  expanding coverage;  increasing collection rates; and  changing valuation methodologies, in particular a move towards CAMA, relying in part on remote sensing techniques.

Consultants gathered and reviewed key documents identifying preliminary areas of concern, key questions to be addressed and key stakeholders. A mission was carried out by LEI’s land administration expert consultant to meet stakeholders to form agreement on the key elements of the manual, identify and address the key regulatory issues and scope out potential bottlenecks throughout the process.