Land information system developers need to have specific expertise related to development of land information technology (IT) systems and need to collaborate closely with end users to ensure that the system effectively addresses user needs and the legal requirements of the land registration process. The evaluation found that the developers of the Cabo Verde Land Information Management and Transaction System (LMITS), Nucleus Operacional da Sociedade de Informação (NOSi), did not always sufficiently consult with the end users of the system. While NOSi generally has strong capacity on development of IT systems, it did not have expertise in land information systems at the time the compact project started. NOSi developers also did not appear to take as much time as was necessary to gain an in-depth understanding of the land registration process being implemented by the project. As a result, NOSi’s land information system initially did not respond as well as expected to the needs of end users and to the requirements of the new systems being established by the Special Regime law on land registration. For example, the LMITS did not contain data fields to record jointly held land rights of men and women in certain forms of defacto unions, even after passage of several legal amendments that attempted to address the issue during the project. In the future MCC should assess the developer’s capacity to design and implement land information systems. Where specialized knowledge is lacking, MCC should insist that the developer hire qualified consultants to assist in development of the land information system, although it is noted that this is a problem unique to the use of NOSi as an existing e-government provider that had not yet worked on land systems; most other standard procurements and contractual arrangements with land IT providers would and do insist on land IT expertise as a fundamental requirement. In future land IT investments, MCC should also insist that developers work closely on a regular basis with end users and project implementers to gain as deep an understanding as possible of land registration processes so that the system design accurately reflects the needs of these users as they implement the project, register rights in land, and administer land transactions between parties.
Lesson Learned