Achievements and Gaps in the Application of the Land Registration System in ANRS: The Case of West Gojjam Zone

Land registration system has been put in place in the rural areas of Amhara National Regional State (ANRS) since 2002. The courts in the regional state decide on land disputes based on land information obtained from the land administration offices. These offices are expected to supply the information available at the land registration system. However, land administration and use offices often get the information directly from the public on an individual case basis following order from a court. This is mainly attributable to the low level of using the land registration system in the region by the land administration offices and legal professionals. The land registration system is not used to its maximum potential to alleviate the problem of land dispute. A case study approach is used in this article, and five rural woredas were purposively chosen because of high prevalence of land disputes. Questionnaires, focus group discussions (FGDs) and court cases are used. The research indicates the need for a strong institutional and regulatory mechanism of land management in ANRS.