Huambo - At least 500 surface rights authorizations issued, between 2010 and 2023, by the Geographic and Registration Institute of Angola (IGCA) in the province of Huambo, are abandoned for unknown reasons, ANGOP learned.
Speaking Monday, the head of IGCA services in the province of Huambo, Arcanjo Meneses, pointed to the lack of interest of applicants and the costs of fees as the main causes of the abandonment of surface rights titles.
From 2010 to the present date, he said, 230 documents of this kind have been delivered to applicants in the agriculture, agro-tourism, industrial and self-construction sectors.
He informed that the institution registered, in 2023, a total of 636 parcels of land, of which 38 culminated in the registration of surface rights, aimed at requesting credit for investments in the aforementioned areas.
However, he regretted the fact that only five cooperatives, of the more than 100 controlled by the authorities of the province of Huambo, possess the surface right title, an important document that enables institutions or cooperatives to access credits, prevent land conflicts and other benefits.
In terms of land conflicts, especially in rural areas, Arcanjo Meneses announced that, last year, 27 cases were recorded, for various reasons, many of which were resolved through conciliation of the parties by the IGCA and the rest were sent to the Court of the Huambo District, taking into account their complexity.
He pointed to the intensification of awareness campaigns regarding the Land Law, through the institution and partners, as one of the priorities for this year, in favor of conflict prevention.
Operating in the upper part of the city of Huambo, the IGCA, staffed by five technicians and seven administrative staff, issues, on average/weekly, 10 land legalization registrations.
He indicated that the lack of transport, technical equipment and staff constitute the institution's main difficulties.
The Geographic and Registration Institute of Angola (IGCA), created under Decree-Law nº 94/03 of the Council of Ministers, is the body of the Angolan Government, supervised by the Ministry of Construction, Urbanism and Housing, which aims to exercise the function of the National Cartography and Cadastre Authority.
Its responsibilities also include the development and coordination of the National Geographic Information System, promotion, training and research in the fields of geosciences and geographic information technologies. MLV/JSV/ALH/TED/DOJ
