Implementing Multisignature on a Blockchain-based Land Administration System: Securing Land Rights and Enhancing Transparency
Attoumane Tahar, Gervais Mendy, Samuel Ouya · 2023
Ownership of land is a complex and multifaceted concept. Land distribution to all social categories is an even more difficult task, as in most cases we lack the instruments to capture land rights information on the ground. As part of the United Nations’s Sustainable Development Goals1 5 (Gender Equality) and 10 (Reduced Inequality), we must think of ways and means to not only capture the rightful owner of a land but also build the framework that will protect those rights regardless of the social categories of its owner. While, on the one hand, many initiatives have been taken to improve the traditional tenure arrangements and other legal aspects towards a more equitable land access distribution, in another hand the technology implication is still lacking. We argue that technology reinforcement is necessary to provide enough protection against corruption. In this paper, we propose to implement a blockchain-backed land administration system based on Hyperledger Iroha. Besides the blockchain’s inherent ability to resist corruption and enhance transparency, the proposed system would provide support for multi-signatory land transfer transactions. Such a mechanism would make sure that each shareholder agrees on any given land transaction, effectively protecting their right to the land.