Actions To Secure The Land And Approval Processes

Actions To Secure The Land And Approval Processes

As the tenure in Senegal is based on a predominantly customary rights where land rights were based on non-codified laws with slight influence from positivist colonial laws, it is unclear on answering the question of which party owns the vacant ideal lot in our project in Baghere. Specific approval processes would also need to be collected through research on the field. Compliance to the landowner's conditions (I.e. the chief/ private landowner/ agricultural community arrangements) might be of essence throughout the process under the different tenure arrangement scenarios in Figure 1. Even though a research suggest that private land ownership is unfavorable in Senegal with the state being preferable source of authority, the private land arrangement scenario would also need to be anticipated (News, 2014). With regards to the above consideration, investigations and thorough community research processes would need to be conducted in order to better understand the issues surrounding the three possible tenure arrangements outlined in Figure 1. There were several stakeholders identified that will be relevant to the land security activities and approval processes: (USAID) • Central Government (with local land administrative such as the rural councils to be anticipated due to decentralization of land administration being identified) • Local Land Chief (if any) • Private land holders (if any) • Family land holders (if any) • Other NGOs attempting to secure the land for their projects • Donors involved within the Balauo Salo project (I.e. the Kaira Looro fundraising and the likes) • Other local communities group that might have conflicting interest over the land tenure

Having established the webs of social relationships that govern the ownership of the land, the local and central government's requirements and formal processes under the law, such as ensuring land productivity will need to be addressed. At the present, the government has supports for large-scale commercial development projects, which might indirectly influence the support on commercial NGOs such as the Balauo Salo (USAID); It is hoped that complying these formal requirements would result in greater possibility of the tenure being approved for the nominated lot for the Women's House in Baghere. Arrangements will be made such that the land rights can be passed to the local Baghere women population in a shared manner to uphold the gender equality in the area of land tenure. Ensuring continuous monitoring and controlling of local community behavior towards this tenure arrangement is to be conducted and inputted into the STDM information system as shown in Figure 13. above such that disputes can be resolved accordingly had they arise.

Figure 12. The Social Tenure Domain Model (STDM) Information Systems (UN Habitat, 2020)

Then, ensuring that adequate financing at all times from the donor are ensured. At the present, it is not known on the likelihood of the land tenure being approved. Ensuring that adequate financing at all times from the charity, the Balouo Salo Association, is paramount and transactions being made as directly as possible once the tenure is approved (Salo, 2021).

Finally, ensuring evidence of payments are stored (I.e. in the form of land certificates, contracts, and the likes) would be crucial in order to prevent unauthorized takeover of the land by either local or foreign parties outside the contract.

Figure 15.. Elements of the action plan to secure the tenure (Diagram by authors, 2021)