Sponsored by the Harakat Foundation, ALCO received funding to implement the Land Records Modernisation Project (LRMP) on 5 October, 2009 to improve tenure security through the registration of property rights by:
- Assisting the Supreme Court with completing the computerization of archived property deeds in Afghanistan;
- Extending the current computer-based deed registration system to include the registration of mortgages;
- Maintaining a secured computer-based central registry of property deeds which protects investors from fraudulent transactions, competing claims, and forced eviction leading to financial loss; and
- Enhancing the confidence of the public in the formal court registration system and increasing revenues generated from property transactions.
- Digitize provincial deed registries by scanning and indexing property deeds (qabala-e-qatae & qabala-edawlati). Target provinces include Kabul, Herat, Balkh, Nangarhar, Kunduz and Parwan. A total of 350,000 deeds will be computerized;
- Study the feasibility of extending the computer-based deed registration system to include the computerization of mortgage deeds (qabala-e-jaizi) registered with the courts, and implements a pilot project in
Kabul to digitize 20,000 mortgage deeds, which is the total number of mortgage deeds that were registered with the Kabul Makhzan in November 2009; - Develop a Web-based open source application which allows licensed users to access the central deed registry via internet.
The Afghan society at large – including in particular, local entrepreneurs, investors and land owners - is the main beneficiary of this project. A secured property registration system leads to higher tenure security, lower investment risks and increased access to credit through the ability to pledge property as collateral. In addition,computer-based deed registries reduce the time needed to verify property titles and register property transactions, resulting in considerable savings in time and costs for individuals and investors.
The intended results of this project are:
This large scale nation-wide intitiative is managed and implemented by ALCO's Executive Team whose members direct a team of 55 Afghan experts to implement the program.
Launch Ceremony of the Land Records Modernization Project
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In the presence of many guests and representatives of the media, His Excellency Dr. Jallazada, Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Urban Development, His Excellency Dr. Baha of the Supreme Court, Mr. Jawad Peikar of the Harakat Foundation and Mr. Zia Astana, Director of ALCO open the LRM Project in October 2009.