CASLE Conference in Africa

A conference organised by the Commonwealth Association of Surveying and Land Economy on Promoting Sustainable Land Management in Africa took place in Bagamoyo, Tanzania from March 13th to 17th 2006. The conference objective was to bring together experts from Commonwealth countries in surveying, land economy and related professions to share experience and learn from one another the ways in which land as a resource can improve livelihoods. Specific objectives were:

• to improve stakeholder and professional awareness in the land-management sector and address equity and housing problems in developing countries
  
• to explore styles of participation in mitigation of the impact of the HIV/AIDS pandemic on human settlements
  
• to propose a way forward on poverty alleviation through sustainable land management and administration
  
• to examine education, training and research schemes for land-sector professions
  
• to promote tourism for the historical sites of Bagamoyo and other sites in Tanzania.

Nearly fifty papers addressed sub-themes such as innovative land-tenure systems, equity issues, access to land, and land titling. Although the main theme focused on Africa, the conference attracted participants from Europe, North America and South East Asia: a total of 211 participants from fifteen countries. In an opening speech read by Professor Idris Kikula, Minister of Lands, Housing and Human Settlements Development, Hon. John Pombe Magufuli outlined the evolution of Land Policy in Tanzania and highlighted problems in the land sector, citing uncontrolled urbanisation, limited financial resources for land-sector activities, etc.

Ten Resolutions were adopted.

• African governments should be advised to embrace ICT in order to reduce cost and speed up land delivery and the tit-ling and registration process.
  
• African governments should be advised to give Informal Settlements formal recognition.
  
• The whole gamut of land management should be redefined to ensure sustainable user satisfaction and equitable access to land by all, especially the poor.
  
• African governments should be advised to invest adequately in surveying and mapping as a strategy to inventory all land so as to develop a comprehensive LIS needed for land management and administration.
  
• African governments should be urged to scale up investment in both revenue mobilisation and infrastructure delivery in urban areas.
  
• The use of land as collateral for loans should be encouraged. Minimise revocations of land rights and pay full, fair and prompt compensation where revo-cation of land rights is inevitable.
  
• As deficient urban land delivery and urban growth have been the cause of informal settlements, short, medium and long-term schemes and strategies should be conceived and implemented to mitigate the informal settlement development cycle.
  
• Land-sector professionals and the international community should devise strategies for assisting victims of HIV/AIDS with shelter, food, education and orphanage centres.
  
• The land-sector professionals working with industry should promote private investment in housing and infrastructure delivery to supplement government efforts in provision of the same.
  
• To build local capacity CASLE, academic and national professional institutions should promote quality academic programmes and maintain standards of delivery, form research partnerships, encourage Continued Professional Development (CPD) and promote the image of land-sector professions.

The conference was organised by the Commonwealth Association of Surveying and Land Economy, UN Habitat and the African Real Estate Society and co-hosted by the Institution of Surveyors of Tanzania and the Tanzanian Institution of Valuers and Estate Agents. Representing FIG were vice-president Ken Allred and Diane Dumashie, chair of Commission 8.

Eugene Silayo


FIG President Visits Tbilisi
At the invitation of corporate member LKN Earth Research & Consulting, the one FIG representative of surveying in Georgia, FIG president Prof. Magel made a visit to Tbilisi, Georgia, from 9th to 12th May 2006. Georgia is a country of which the survey profession and education have faced and continue to face huge challenges and transformation processes. LKN director general Merab Nadaraia emphasised the importance of the visit of the FIG president to Georgia, a country that, with support of many international agencies and donors, has to build a modern infrastructure and market economy based mainly upon digitised cadastre and registers. To realise this, and because Georgia is becoming more and more globally orientated and connected, it is very important for Georgian surveyors to have access to information and to share experience with the international community. FIG membership has to be the first priority for Georgian surveyors, as Merab Nadaraia confirmed in his discussions with President Magel. The FIG president promised full support in establishing an association of surveyors, on the way to becoming a new member of FIG at the coming congress in Munich.

His official visit to Georgia led to President Magel being invited to give a keynote speech at the Working Party on Land Administration Workshop of Economic Commission for Europe on Institutional Framework for Securing Real Property Rights in Tbilisi. This took place simultaneously, at the instigation of the National Agency of Public Registry of Georgia.

Markku Villikka