Land records are very dynamic since people-to-land relationships change regularly and must be kept up to date. Real-time changes in land rights must be captured in a database, or the land system will become obsolete and be replaced by an informal system. Often, the changes are made using existing manual systems. Manual-based land administration systems create numerous issues, including time consumption and fraud. To address the issues associated with manual processes, governments are now turning paperless and embracing e-service delivery in an effort to increase efficiency, provide better services, and save costs. While various articles have discussed the advantages of automating land administration services, little is known about the potential opportunities and challenges of implementing a Land Information Management System (LIMS) for Malawi. The paper aims to present the ongoing implementation of LIMS in Malawi. Specifically, the paper looks at the Malawi journey towards development of LIMS, the benefits of LIMS to Malawi Land administration, challenges to implementing LIMS in Malawi and finally, the lessons learnt to guide future system expansion and sustainability. This study employed a qualitative research method based on the case study technique. Data were gathered through observation, document analysis, and interviews. The interviewers were selected purposefully. Triangulation of data was employed to reduce bias, which is frequent in studies of this nature. Data were collected between May and August 2024. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data. The study found that  the implementation of LIMS involved among others, review and analysis of business processes, re-engineering of business processes, workflow design, system development and User Acceptance Testing (UAT). The results also show that LIMS will reduce transport costs that users incur as they will be afforded an opportunity to pay online using their mobile wallet or visa card. The study also found that LIMS faces high costs of training and maintenance that may impact on its sustainability. Finally, the Terms of References (ToRs) in hiring a consultant should be holistic and every technical word used in the ToRS should be well defined. It is therefore recommended that all system administrators and users should be appropriately trained in order to manage and properly use the system.

错误:搜索内容不能为空,请输入英文关键词
错误:关键词超出字数限制,请精简
高级检索

Implementing Land Information Management System in Malawi: Opportunities and Challenges

  • Andrew James Kafumbata,
  • Moffat Kakoko Harawa,
  • Devie Chilonga

摘要

Land records are very dynamic since people-to-land relationships change regularly and must be kept up to date. Real-time changes in land rights must be captured in a database, or the land system will become obsolete and be replaced by an informal system. Often, the changes are made using existing manual systems. Manual-based land administration systems create numerous issues, including time consumption and fraud. To address the issues associated with manual processes, governments are now turning paperless and embracing e-service delivery in an effort to increase efficiency, provide better services, and save costs. While various articles have discussed the advantages of automating land administration services, little is known about the potential opportunities and challenges of implementing a Land Information Management System (LIMS) for Malawi. The paper aims to present the ongoing implementation of LIMS in Malawi. Specifically, the paper looks at the Malawi journey towards development of LIMS, the benefits of LIMS to Malawi Land administration, challenges to implementing LIMS in Malawi and finally, the lessons learnt to guide future system expansion and sustainability. This study employed a qualitative research method based on the case study technique. Data were gathered through observation, document analysis, and interviews. The interviewers were selected purposefully. Triangulation of data was employed to reduce bias, which is frequent in studies of this nature. Data were collected between May and August 2024. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data. The study found that  the implementation of LIMS involved among others, review and analysis of business processes, re-engineering of business processes, workflow design, system development and User Acceptance Testing (UAT). The results also show that LIMS will reduce transport costs that users incur as they will be afforded an opportunity to pay online using their mobile wallet or visa card. The study also found that LIMS faces high costs of training and maintenance that may impact on its sustainability. Finally, the Terms of References (ToRs) in hiring a consultant should be holistic and every technical word used in the ToRS should be well defined. It is therefore recommended that all system administrators and users should be appropriately trained in order to manage and properly use the system.