Integrating Blockchain Technology for Land Registration Takes Centre Stage at KNUST, NELGA Workshop

February 12, 2021

The department of Land Economy at the Kwame Nkrumah University for Science and Technology (KNUST), Ghana, and the Network of Excellence on Land Governance in Africa (NELGA) will hold a 2-day workshop from March 18-19, 2021, in Kumasi, Ghana, to discuss and identify how blockchain technology can address land registration challenges in Ghana.

The workshop brings together experts and land registration practitioners to explore the potentials for implementation and map out the research area to inform policy on the roll-out of blockchain technology in Ghana.

In Ghana, technological advancements provide a window of opportunity to solve the problems associated with recording land transactions. One of such technological innovations that are increasingly seen to hold much promise to revolutionize land registration is blockchain. Over the past several years, the Government of Ghana has been making efforts to digitize land records and reduce turnaround time in land registration, aligning with the blockchain land registration innovation.

Land registration is critical for economic transformation and poverty alleviation around the world. The 2019 World Bank’s Doing Business report ranked Ghana 123rd out of 190 countries surveyed, of which one of the reasons for this ranking is linked to land registration challenges faced by the country regardless of the myriad of existing land administrative frameworks, guidelines, and policies.

The workshop will:

  • Discuss the existing legal and institutional frameworks for land registration in Ghana.
  • Examine the challenges in the implementation of the land title registration system.
  • Highlight the blockchain technology features and replace or complement the existing land registration system in Ghana.
  • Proffer policy recommendations and give direction for further research regarding blockchain in land registration in Ghana.

The hybrid workshop brings together stakeholders from public and private sectors and the non-governmental organization’s sector, including policy advocacy groups, into an online and physical space.