For some time now, Ghana has been recording, besides those from the State, multiple initiatives aiming to improve land management. Landmapp, a start-up based in Amsterdam (Netherlands) and operating in Ghana is one of the promoters of such initiatives. It provides in the country land rights documentation to Ghanaian landholders, to small farmers especially, based on customary traditions and Ghanaian regulations.

“Landmapp, provides landholders (particularly smallholder farmers) with a one-stop-shop land documentation service, allowing them to register their properties under their name. The documentation is compliant with Ghanaian regulations and customary traditions, and can be used as collateral for accessing agricultural loans. Landmapp uses GPS data to map landholders’ plots, word-of-mouth to verify land ownership, and confirms the landholders’ identities in order to seek certification of land deeds from local authorities,” news website How we made it in Africa said.

A quite appropriate solution both for landholders and Ghanaian authorities operating in the sector, according to the start-up’s founders, Simon Ulvund and Thomas Vaassen. “Authorities benefit by having a fully verified digital dataset, including biometrics and high-quality surveying. In turn Landmapp helps landholders access relevant services such as finance, leveraging their land document and personal dataset,” the founders told the website.