Improving Sustainability of Land Administration through Decentralized Service Provision

Recognizing that the impressive gains from comprehensive land tenure regularization may be short-lived if subsequent transactions are not registered, Rwanda has deployed close to 400 Sector Land Managers (SLMs) throughout the country. Regressions using LAIS data highlight that posting of SLMs increased levels of registered sales but not inheritance transactions and that, for agricultural land, having an SLM taken refresher training almost doubled this effect. A survey of all SLMs in April 2016 suggests that they are fully functional and in close contact with DLOs. More training (possibly via new channels), access to LAIS, and some office equipment (locking cabinets) could enhance performance. Time spent by SLMs on land administration, levels of transactions handled, and reasons for them to reject applications provide pointers for improvement.