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Extending LADM for integrated land governance : localizing the model to capture customary tenure in Dome, Ghana
Tetteh, Henry Tetteh (2025) Extending LADM for integrated land governance : localizing the model to capture customary tenure in Dome, Ghana.
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| Abstract: | In Ghana’s peri-urban areas such as Dome, land tenure systems are shaped by the coexistence of statutory and customary regimes, producing inconsistent land records, overlapping claims, and persistent tenure insecurity. Despite legal reforms and digitization efforts, most land remains undocumented or governed by informal norms, undermining trust in formal land governance. The Land Administration Domain Model (LADM) offers a standardized framework for documenting diverse tenure types, but its implementation in Ghana has remained limited and misaligned with customary realities. This study employs a design science research methodology to investigate how local tenure practices in Dome can inform the development of a localized LADM-based model. Qualitative data were collected through semi-structured interviews, focus group discussions, and stakeholder engagement with landholders, chiefs, and institutional actors. Thematic analysis revealed key features of Dome’s land tenure landscape, including oral transactions, inheritance-based claims, informal boundary markers, and overlapping land rights. Based on these insights, the study proposes an adapted conceptual model grounded in LADM that reflects both statutory requirements and customary practices. The model was validated through participatory evaluation with domain stakeholders, including Lands Commission officials, customary land secretariat staff, residents and legal practitioners. Using criteria such as representational accuracy, legal alignment, and implementation feasibility, stakeholders reviewed the model against real-world tenure scenarios. Their feedback led to iterative refinements, such as adding locally resonant terminology and accommodating oral documentation types, ensuring the model’s contextual fit and institutional applicability. This research contributes to the literature on integrated land governance by demonstrating how global data standards can be tailored to diverse tenure systems, enhancing tenure security and supporting inclusive urban development in Ghana and similar contexts. |
| Item Type: | Essay (Master) |
| Faculty: | ITC: Faculty of Geo-information Science and Earth Observation |
| Programme: | Geoinformation Science and Earth Observation MSc (75014) |
| Link to this item: | https://purl.utwente.nl/essays/107225 |
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