Rural Land Holding Registration & Cadastral Surveying
A Land Administration System is under implementation in Amhara National Regional State (ANRS) of the Federal Republic of Ethiopia. One of the principle components of the development of the Land Administration System is the legislation as a key factor for proper land administration and security of tenure. The on-going implementation of the Land Administration System is based on the Federal and the Amhara Region’s Rural Land Administration and Use Proclamations and the Directive for the Implementation of the Rural Land Administration and Use Proclamation No 46/2000 issued by the Environmental Protection and Land Administration and Use Authority (EPLAUA).
As a further step in the land law reform and based on the experiences from the implementation of the Land Administration System a new Federal Proclamation the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia Rural Land Administration and Land Use Proclamation No. 456/2005 has been developed and adopted on July 15, 2005.The Federal Proclamation was followed by the enactment of a Proclamation in Amhara National Regional State at the end of March 2006. Furthermore, during 2005 a comprehensive study on the legal framework covering all aspects of land administration and related sectors and issues was carried out to give support to the land law reform. The study resulted in the report “Future Framework of Land-Related Laws in Amhara National Regional State, Study to Support Law Development”. The study report includes recommendations regarding the long-term frameworks of laws to be developed. However, a new comprehensive legal framework for land laws will take years to accomplish. Thus, the law reform will have to be carried out stepwise and will be one of the main activities for the coming years. A long-term program on law development will be necessary to prioritize and coordinate the different suggested laws. Furthermore, there is a need to involve and coordinate all relevant stakeholders.
A crucial issue for EPLAUA in the close future is the maintenance of the registration system. At present there is a rudimentary legal framework in the area of cadastre and land register. EPLAUA therefore needs to prioritize law development within these areas.