Sander van Hooft

I mentioned some terms like kebele and woreda in my latest posts, obviously neglecting the fact that most readers are not familiar with the administrative divisions of Ethiopia. In fact, in literature these words are used but in most cases left unexplained. So, let me introduce you to the concept of kilil, chartered city, zone, woreda and kebele. » Read the rest of this entry «

The decentralized approach on land registration is regarded as the key to Ethiopia’s successful swift and cost-effective land registration. Ethiopia’s success seems to be a rare case though:

“In fact, hardly any of the [sub-Saharan] countries that introduced legal reforms with much fanfare have succeeded in developing, let alone rolling out, a low-cost system for land administration at a scale that is sufficiently large to provide an option for the majority of the poor. This made it difficult for many of the expected benefits from such legislation to materialize, implying that the poor often continue to be excluded from formal systems and vulnerable to land loss. More generally, failure to implement land legislation has raised doubts regarding the technical, institutional, and political feasibility of such reforms.” (Deininger, Ali, Holden, & Zevenbergen, 2008)

In my previous post I mentioned the Land use and Administration Committees (LACs). The LACs are playing a major role in the registration process, so I’ll explain a bit more about that. » Read the rest of this entry «

After the defeat of the socialist Derg regime in 1991, the Peasant Associations were dissolving rapidly. However, the government announced the continuation of the land policy of the Derg regime. When Ethiopia in 1995 became the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia the new constitution approved and confirmed the state ownership of land. Even today, “[l]and policy, the real source of power in imperial and contemporary Ethiopia, remains at the center of a controversial political debate.” (Crewett, Bogale, & Korf, 2008) » Read the rest of this entry «

During a study project in Gondar, Ethiopia, it came to my understanding that the registration of land is a national issue receiving many attention in politics. » Read the rest of this entry «