By Bakah Derick
North West Association of Development Organisations (NWADO) has published a mobile application expected to facilitate the land certificate procedure in Cameroon. The application christened Land App has been presented to the press in Bamenda as one of the outcomes of their Amplifying Civil Society Voice for Quality Service Delivery in the public Sector in the North West Region of Cameroon.
Talking to www.hilltopvoices.com in Bamenda on Wednseday 28 December 2021, Tombir Stanley, Director of the nongovernmental organisation explained that a survey by his organisation established a very complicated and costly nature of land ownership procedures in the country.
"The land certification process is a very long and complicated process in Cameroon because it has two regimes and people don't even have access to that information. When you look at the quantity of land people own in Cameroon and you look at the quantity that is certified you will discover that there is a problem with that system. When you look at the value that people attach to land it means that if the system of certification was easy, everybody will want to own a land title and when we did a survey in localities in Bamenda I, II, and III and it prooved that it is very difficult for for people to obtain land certificates. In the survey one of the things that came is cost; the cost is too high and some are not specified." He said
Local administrative officers and surveyors have been accused by the survey for the increase cost and unspecified cost which application and obtaintion of the land certificate very complex
According to the NWADO leader, this revealed the need for an application to facilitate the procedure
"The creation of the app is informed by access to information. People need to first of all be informed. Lots of money is extorted from people out of ignorance because sometimes someone will ask money and if you don't know about the procedure and where money has to be paid, he or she will just be giving. The app provides information and the ponsibility to monitor and trap files as they move from one office to another. There is also some kind of reporting because if somebody is asking money from you at a certain level which may not be the specified level like in survey where people complain that they are charged to pay for application forms which are not correct. These gave us the reason to propose the app." Tombir Standby explained
While affirming that the app answers to the peoples challenges, the NWADO chief executive says there is need for upgrading and contact updating since mobile applications are a new technology. He also argues that majority of those with the capacity to afford land have the means to have android mobile phones hence the assurance that it will reach it's target. With the application also on Google play store, the civil society actor says it doing relatively well.
With support from the European Union, the NWADO project also seeks to promote efficient contract award procecess and quality public goods and services.