Responsible and Innovative Land Administration in Ethiopia (REILA) – Zero Order Geodesy consultant
Land degradation is an alarming threat in Ethiopia and the Government has launched a large programme on sustainable land management. In response to the Government’s efforts to mitigate the situation, Finland is contributing to a long-term cooperation in the rural economic development sector focusing on land administration. The Finnish cooperation, Responsible and Innovative Land Administration in Ethiopia (REILA), is in support of the Government’s programme called Ethiopia Sustainable Land Management Investment Framework (ESIF). The cooperation is being executed as a bilateral project for the amount of 12.8 MEUR. The project is ongoing since August 2011 and will be continuing until the end of 2016.
The overall objective of the project is improved livelihood and economic wellbeing of the rural population through promotion of sustainable land management practices. With this intervention, it is planned to contribute towards an improved, transparent and appropriate lad administration system in Ethiopia. Capacity enhancement, harmonization of land administration systems and public awareness are few of the focus of this intervention.
The geographical coverage includes the Regions of Amhara and Benishnagul Gumuz. In addition, the federal level institutions of the Ministry of Agriculture and Ethiopian Mapping Agency, and in the Regions Bureaus of Environmental Protection Land Administration and Use, zone and woreda level administrations are implementation partners who will also benefit from the intervention. At the kebele level the land administration committees are assumed to be the immediate beneficiaries.
The ultimate beneficiaries include current and potential holders of land use rights: individuals, joint or communal land holders, or private sector investors in agriculture. They are expected to enjoy more secure land tenure as a result of the project’s support to the development of reliable, transparent land administration system and widely accessible land administration services.
The ORGUT Geodesy expert’s role and responsibilities are, in partnership with the Ethiopian Mapping Agency, to plan and implement a national Zero Order geodetic control network, including planning, reconnaissance, choice of sites, design and construction of monumentation, GPS observations and computations.