Rural Land Certification in Ethiopia : Process, Initial Impact, and Implications for Other African Countries

Although many African countries have
recently adopted highly innovative and pro-poor land laws,
lack of implementation thwarts their potentially
far-reaching impact on productivity, poverty reduction, and
governance. The authors use a representative household
survey from Ethiopia where, over a short period,
certificates to more than 20 million plots were issued to
describe the certification process, explore its incidence
and preliminary impact, and quantify the costs. While this
provides many suggestions to ensure sustainability and
enhance impact, Ethiopia's highly cost-effective
first-time registration process provides important lessons.