A Digital Process Model for Land Registration in Ghana: Addressing the Challenges of Dual Tenure Systems

Abstract

The paper explores the structural and procedural inefficiencies in the existing land registration system, pointing out bottlenecks such as overlapping institutional mandates, bureaucratic redundancies, understaffing, and lack of coordination between key agencies, such as the Lands Commission and Customary Land Secretariats. Through a mixed-methods design, purposive sampling techniques and 150 stakeholder interviews and client questionnaires, the research assesses user experience and institutional processes that shape land registration outcomes, especially in fast urbanizing cities like Sekondi-Takoradi. The questionnaires were analysed using MAXQDA and SPSS. A client-centered digital workflow model was developed and prototyped with Process Maker software and PostgreSQL, which improves spatial data integration, optimizes tasks, and minimizes procedural duplication. The model showed great promise for enhancing transparency, minimizing delays, and improving data integrity. The paper concluded by advocating for the replication at scale of this digital solution nationally, official legal recognition of customary land records, decentralization of services, and enhanced stakeholder communication for a more equitable and efficient system of land administration for Ghana.