Rwanda on Monday, March 10, launched a land dashboard which is a fully automated platform that analyses and visualises land data including use, transactions, ownership and values in real time, according to its developers. The National Land Authority (NLA) observed that the Rwanda Land Dashboard was developed in partnership with GanzAfrica Foundation – a capacity delivery institution in Rwanda, to develop an interactive land dashboard – to make land statistical data available to the public. The dashboard updates itself every 24 hours to reflect what happened in terms of land transactions and use in the previous day. It shows the state of land based on its current use versus the planned one, whether designed for agriculture, residential, transportation, or forestry purposes, among others, which helps track progress. ALSO READ: Rwanda to deploy new system for improved land services NLA indicated that the dashboard is an innovative platform designed to enhance land governance, transparency, and access to land- related data in Rwanda, adding that it will serve as a vital tool for policymakers, researchers, development partners and the general public in making informed decisions. Marie Grace Nishimwe, Director General of NLA, and Chief Registrar of Land Titles, said that the dashboard will support the development of natural capital accounting, land cover analysis, and other related needs. “This powerful platform allows us to better track and analyse trends in land administration, providing us with real-time insights that will support informed decision-making, improve operation efficiency, and guide our overall strategy moving forward,” she said. “The insights gained will be crucial in shaping evidence-based policies and contributing to academic research, benefiting the entire land administration sector, and we are confident that this tool will prove invaluable to researchers, policymakers, and anyone involved in land management.” She underscored the importance of real-time monitoring of land services that is expected to be enabled by the dashboard. “This dashboard will allow us to see where we do have a lot of transactions and where we are delaying the services, so that we can also make better decisions. The dashboard also enables data-informed decision-making by offering actionable insights for strategic development,” Nishimwe said, adding that dashboard will promote transparency. ALSO READ: How automation of 10 land services solved accessibility issues For the Minister of Environment, Valentine Uwamariya, the dashboard strengthens Rwanda’s commitment to sustainable environment as “it provides the data we need to ensure that development aligns with environmental conservation.” Uwamariya pointed out that it will help to identify trends, anticipate challenges, and guide strategic decisions that support both economic development but also social equity, underlining the need for quality data to ensure a dashboard that is really useful. “For financial institutions and investors, they will benefit from credible up-to-date land valuation data, reducing risks in mortgage lending, property investments, and real estate development, the minister said, adding this will create an environment where financing for land-based projects is more secure, and investment decisions are backed by solid data. “For private sector developers, they will have a clear picture of land availability, land ownership structures, and market trends, making it easier to plan and execute projects while ensuring compliance with national regulations. And this particularly is crucial in sectors such as housing, commercial real estate, and industrial development,” she said. ALSO READ: Electronic land certificates will curb frauds - NLA However, participants at the dashboard launch exposed a concern over land prices that are reported by owners or buyers, saying that they may be less than the actual ones. Among the reasons for that, they cited the attempt by some people to evade tax imposed on the sale of land whose value is more than Rwf5 million. This situation risks impairing the quality of land value data in the dashboard. Referring to the tendency among people to under-report the value of land sale, Aimé Tsinda, a researcher in urban planning and environment, suggested the development of a feature that can work in such a way that inaccurate prices are not accepted in the land system. “We can reflect on how this can be improved,” he said. NLA’s Nishimwe said that by continuing to build effective systems, and scaling up property valuation, inaccurate prices provided by people on land sale agreements will be identified.
