Assessing Urban Land Governance in Ethiopian Cities (2002-2011): Lessons for the 2011 Urban Land Management Policy Implementation

The people and lands of Ethiopia partake in the global movement towards urbanization. However, the land-to-people interfaces in urban Ethiopia are considered far from sustainable. This paper explores this assumption through the analytical lens of land governance and land administration. It considered the implementation of the urban land leasehold law from 2002-2011. Empirical data were collected from three case study cities in Ethiopia. A SWOT analysis technique with an additional priority component was employed. The SWOT analysis results indicated that the land administration and land governance situation in the case study cities during 2002-2011 were deterred by the lack of: an underlying land policy, independent responsible institution, coordination between different institutions, societal participation, and weak enforcement of laws and spatial plans. Priority areas that should improve these shortcomings and support future strategic planning and land development are identified. Overall, this study provides lessons for the implementation of the 2011 urban land policy to achieve its desired outcomes such as sustainable urban development.