Introduction
In Burkina Faso, despite innovations and enormous efforts, land management remains lacklustre. It’s undeniable that investing in land is both sustainable and lucrative, hence the rush to acquire it. This race to grab as much land as possible is not without its unfortunate effects. So, what are the causes of this land mismanagement? What are its consequences? How can its impact be mitigated? In the lines that follow, we will first develop the causes of this calamitous land management. Secondly, to draw out the consequences. Finally, we will outline solutions for good land management in Burkina Faso.
Causes of Land Mismanagement
In the past, land could not be sold; this concept, which is no longer held by our forefathers, has given way to the notion that land is an asset with an inestimable market value. Today, land is comparable to wine; it improves with age. But land management is not very dynamic. One of the causes of land mismanagement is the successive changes in the legal framework governing land management. This change, prompted by the advent of democracy and structural adjustment programs, gave rise to three landowners: the State, local authorities and private individuals. Each owner enjoys property rights. These property rights are, in reality, real rights conferring all the prerogatives that one can have over a property. These rights are made up of three elements: usus (the right to use), abusus (the right to dispose of) and fructus (the right to receive the fruits). The second cause is the possibility of securing rural land through the attestation of rural land possession. This has led to the emergence of a number of so-called property development companies, whose activities are limited to land development, resulting in the liquidation of rural and semi-urban land in particular. Finally, the absence of tools such as a single cadastral file of plots for the entire national territory cannot facilitate excellent management based on equity and equality. All these factors have definite consequences. So, what are the real impacts?
The Consequences of Poor Land Management
The shortcomings observed in land management have embarrassing consequences. These include land grabbing by the bourgeois minority, leaving the masses without their means of survival. Indeed, agriculture remains the main activity of the peasant masses. The second perilous effect is the increase in shameless profiteering, i.e. unprecedented land speculation. This has an impact on the cost of housing plots, which are permanently exorbitantly expensive and inaccessible to the very poor. In turn, we are witnessing the arrival of homeless people in their hometowns. As a result of all the above, we are witnessing the latency of frustrations between communities, threatening peaceful coexistence, which is already in a bad way due to the terrorist hydra. We can therefore say that land tenure in Burkina Faso, as it is currently managed, is a time bomb. So how can we defuse this bomb and prevent it from exploding?
Solutions to Land Mismanagement
Reduced to spectators, the landless masses are undeniably a threat to good living together. To remedy these shortcomings, it is essential to revise land laws and regulations. Indeed, the State must necessarily take over the entire management of land, offering itself all rights over and above the right of pre-emption (the right to buy before anyone else). In this way, exclusive ownership of the land would revert to the State, which would judiciously organize real estate and/or land development. The second alternative is to set up a single land registry. In this way, the State would have full ownership of its land, and would be able to promote real estate and/or land development. This tool would detect the owners of several plots of land (in the same town) and remove them to guarantee access to land for all. Finally, the State would benefit from rationalizing its land management by enacting new building mechanisms. In the face of inextensible space and strong housing demand encouraged by a high birth rate, architectural cultures need to evolve. So, high-rise construction using the apartment system already in vogue in Europe needs to be developed in the land of men of integrity (of course, while also developing mechanisms for the rationalization and availability of water and electricity). Such prospects, judiciously implemented, could undoubtedly deactivate this land bomb.
Conclusion
Land management in Burkina Faso, given the shortcomings inherent in the texts in force, the recent development of rural and semi-urban land and the bad faith of a number of players, is a sorry state of affairs. Despite these sad facts, which have drastic consequences for social cohesion, land management can be significantly improved. Revolutionary and innovative measures, such as the resumption of total control of land by the State; the design of a single, up-to-date cadastral file; and a review of construction methods would make land management in Burkina Faso a textbook case.
