Mozambique Implements E-Land Registry In Partnership with the Government of Italy and Development Gateway Foundation

The Government of Mozambique will work with the Government of Italy and Development Gateway Foundation to digitize land records that are today on paper. The e-Land Registry and Land Information Management System (LIMS) aim to support the management of Mozambiques resources and provide services to the countrys citizens and businesses in an efficient, transparent, reliable, and cross-sectoral manner.

MAPUTO, ROME, WASHINGTON (PRWEB) June 5, 2004 --- The Government of Mozambique will work with the Government of Italy and Development Gateway Foundation to digitize land records that are today on paper. The e-Land Registry and Land Information Management System (LIMS) aim to support the management of Mozambiques resources and provide services to the countrys citizens and businesses in an efficient, transparent, reliable, and cross-sectoral manner.

An agreement to support the first phase of this initiative with a grant and technical advisory services was signed today by Dr. Hélder Muteia, Mozambiques Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development; Mr. Lucio Stanca, Italys Minister for Innovation and Technologies; and Mr. Alan J. Rossi, Chief Executive Officer of the Development Gateway Foundation.

The signing ceremony among the three partners took place during a videoconference hosted by the World Bank in its offices in Maputo, Rome, and Washington DC.

Ultimately, LIMS services will be expanded beyond the Agriculture Ministry to the various central and local government agencies in Mozambique that produce and use land information and provide services to citizens and businesses. Digitizing Mozambiques paper-based National Land Cadastre and establishing a common government-wide database will empower decision-making in applying for and using land and other natural resources.

This initiative is a major milestone towards the full implementation of Mozambiques overall e-government strategy. As such, it is coordinated closely with other e-government projects in Mozambique, such as the Government Electronic Network (GovNet) project. Also supported by the Government of Italy and Development Gateway Foundation, GovNet is developing an intranet to improve the governments internal operations and better connect with its citizens.

The two projects are supported by the e-Government Grants Program launched by the Government of Italy -- in the framework of its e-Government for Development Initiative" -- and the Development Gateway, to assist developing countries in identifying and implementing e-government projects.

Quotes

The Government of Italy has developed an e-Government for Development Initiative whose aim is both straightforward and ambitious: to help Developing Countries and countries with economies in transition identify the e-Government applications they require and put them into practice," says Mr. Lucio Stanca, Italys Minister for Innovation and Technologies.

The use of ICT in public offices, e-Government, is an enabler of good governance, and it is key not only to improve efficiency of the public administration but also to sustain democracy. The agreement signed today is one of the concrete results of the working partnerships with Government of Italy, Government of Mozambique and Development Gateway Foundation. Its through longterm, on-going relationships between governmental institutions of donor and beneficiary countries and International Organisations that Government solutions can best produce permanent results and comply with principles of transparency, pragmatism and joint participation."

The signing of the project document for the first phase of Mozambique's Government Electronic Land Registry and LIMS is a clear step forward in our efforts to make land and other natural resources information a decisive tool to streamline Government operations, to make service delivery more efficient and cost-effective, thus bringing Government closer to its clients: the citizens and businesses." says Dr. Hélder Muteia, Mozambiques Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development.

This is in line with the letter and spirit of Mozambique's ICT Policy and Strategy as well as with that of the Public Sector Reform Programme. My Government sees Electronic Land Registry and LIMS as a new window of development opportunity and will work with its partners -- the Government of Italy and the Development Gateway Foundation -- to make this project a resounding success."

There is a growing recognition that two important factors in economic development are: first, building institutional capacity; and second, making more effective use of land," says Mr. Alan J. Rossi, Chief Executive Officer of the Development Gateway Foundation. We understand the importance of this initiative and will work hard in collaboration with the Governments of Italy and Mozambique to achieve its objectives."

The Partners

The Government of Mozambique is among the first African countries that identified information and communication technologies (ICT) as a cross-cutting issue and a key development tool, by establishing the ICT Policy Commission (www.infopol.gov.mz), a highlevel task force on information technology chaired by the Prime Minister, and by adopting an ICT Policy and Implementation Strategy, following an extensive, nationwide consultative process that involved all major stakeholders: public and private sectors, civil society organizations and citizens at large, academic and research institutions, the media, and the

donor community.

The Government of Italy has made a commitment to its G8 partners and the international community to develop effective e-government projects that narrow social and economic divides. Recognizing the importance of ICT for development, Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi gave the Minister for Innovation and Technologies, Mr. Lucio Stanca, responsibility for planning and implementing the e-Government for Development Initiative." http://www.innovazione.gov.it/eng/egov4dev/

The Development Gateway Foundation is an enabler of development. It helps improve peoples lives in developing countries by building partnerships and information systems that provide access to knowledge for development. The Development Gateway is an independent not-for-profit organization.

http://www.developmentgateway.org

- e-Government Grants Program:

http://www.developmentgateway.org/aboutus/news/index?#991009