The purpose, and often the result, of the legislation which has been gradually introduced over the last fifty years has been to replace a system of unwritten customary rights which varied from region to region with a relatively simple system of land ownership based on written and published texts, familiar to all and applicable to the territory as a whole.

African land tenure problems, just like those of the African family, are exceedingly complex and baffling. With its ethnic diversity, Cameroon is an inextricable tangle of different concepts of title to land. Yet, except in the overpopulated areas and some times in the towns, the tensions stemming from land tenure problems were practically unknown in Cameroon until about thirty years ago. Owing to economic development and particularly the overpopulation of certain sectors, and the development of the towns, the government was forced to intervene in land tenure questions.

L’Ethiopie dispose d’un potentiel agricole considérable, il existe plusieurs obstacles fondamentaux sur la voie des l’exploitation de ce potentiel.

The paper looks at efforts being taken by the Ministry of Lands and Valuation in Malawi towards developing a Land Information System which would not only act as the basis for all future land related projects, but will provide the basic data for the review of the National Land Policy currently being undertaken by Government.

The Land Policy Initiative (LPI) of the African Union, the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) and the African development Bank (AfDB) concluded the development of a Framework and Guidelines) on Land Policy in Africa (F&G) to facilitate national land policy development and implementation processes.

This paper focuses on compendium on cadastral regulations and land tenure policies in Africa. This compendium on cadastral regulations and land tenure policies m Africa covering both English and French speaking countries is prepared under the terms of reference of U.N. Economic Commission for Africa. The reader of this compendium may not find it quite up-to-date in the case of all countries.

The aim of this initiative is to help the States to re-think their land policies in line with their national realities, and to ensure that they are effectively and efficiently implemented. The current issues involving new land policies in Africa include consolidation of peace, sustainable use of natural resources, promotion of economic growth and poverty reduction.

This report is the first in a series of research studies that the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) will produce with a view to improving the understanding of the links between land tenure systems and sustainable development in Africa. In a continent where 80 percent of the population relies on agriculture for their livelihood, the formulation and implementation of appropriate land policies is a paramount factor in poverty reduction strategies. Research is therefore needed to help policymakers take learned decisions when addressing land tenure issues.

Women's access to and control of land is an important, even crucial issue because of its relation to and implications for food production and food security in the region. Women in rural Africa often do not own the land they are working. The land generally is registered as belonging to their husbands, who then pass it on to their sons, at least to those who remain in the rural area of origin.

Nigeria has a land area of 925,768 km2 or approximately 92,4 million ha., which places her as the 14th largest country in Africa. With a population estimated at 80 million, every inhabitant theoretically has only 1.15 ha of land available for meeting basic economic, industrial and social needs. Lying between latitudes 4°N and 12°N, on the west coast of Africa and with 680 km of coastline, land is not homogenous and is therefore not fully accessible ant! utilizable for any or all of these basic needs.

Un rapport général concemant l'utilisation du cadastre comae "base

de la création des regimes fonciers, élabore dans le cadre de la collaboration entre la Commission IV (cadastre et remembrement rural).

A Cadastre, in the sense to be used in this paper, is a methodically established record of immovable. (Land, buildings, rights that are put on a par with landed property) based on the survey of a complete district. The official record of a cadastral survey generally consists of a drawing or map and a written description of the field work. Cadastres as a rule consist of a map of the survey, a register arranged according to parcels, a register arranged according to proprietors and some auxiliary registers for easier handling. The single parcels are systematically numbered, on the map.