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316 Diagnosing Corruption in Ethiopia
Key Recommendations to Address Corruption in Ethiopia’s
Land Sector
The key areas of corruption in the land sector in Ethiopia, as identified in
this analysis, are set out in box 7.7. Corruption in the key areas can be
addressed with the following strategies:
• Capture of assets by the elite and senior officials: clear policy; improved
record systems; public access to record systems; and improved oversight
of the actions of these bodies, including establishment of an independent
agency to investigate complaints
• Corrupt practices in land management and administration (informal fees,
fraudulent land allocation, disregard of specified restrictions and requirements,
and forged land documents): clear policy to clarify and publicize
restrictions and requirements as well as roles and responsibilities of
officials; improved systems; better public awareness of policy and systems;
development and implementation of service standards; improved
oversight of systems and standards; improved dispute resolution systems;
public access to records; and an independent agency to investigate
complaints.
Based on these strategies, this study recommends the following three
fundamental governance reforms (as covered in table 7.2 and further
discussed below):
• Develop a comprehensive, clear land policy and legal framework.
• Improve institutions and systems in land sector agencies.
• Build capacity and an environment for service delivery.
Policy and legal framework. Implementing significant change to address
the issues related to governance and corruption that exist in the land sector
will require clear political will. Based on international experience, that
political will is best demonstrated by the development and implementation
of a national land policy. The scope of a land policy document can
be broad, but based on the current situation in Ethiopia, it should at a
minimum cover
• clear definition of the rights, responsibilities, and restrictions defining
land tenure in both rural and urban areas;
• clear definition of transitional arrangements, particularly in urban areas
(transition from permit to lease system and the process for formalizing
informal development);