Africa-Press – Lesotho. The Land Administration Authority (LAA) has won the Special Achievement in Geographic Information System (GIS) (SAG) award as a recognition for usage of the latest technology in an effort to advance land administration
services in the Lesotho. In their statement released yesterday, LAA noted that it ranks among the 197 organizations and individuals in the world, honoured with
the prestigious annual SAG awards. Speaking at the press conference that was intended to celebrate the award, LAA Director General and Chief Executive Officer ‘Mataeli
Makhele-Sekhantšo explained that the award was delivered on November 4th. Sekhantšo noted that LAA is entrusted by the government of Lesotho to be the custodian of spatial data, saying one of the painful issues
within the Lesotho land tenure system is the matter of land disputes which have been proven to come from issues like duplications, encroachments and parcel
boundaries. She, therefore, noted that having a GIS technology in place will assist them with better geographic information. She said through the online
system, they will be able to efficiently offer services to customers and stakeholders, adding that the award comes as a result of implementing the GIS
system project that aims to have an integrated system to manage all land records in the country. She further urged and encouraged Basotho to take advantage of
their online platforms as they are indeed cost effective in a way that there is no need to travel long distances merely to make payment at LAA or at the banks
among others. As indicated in the statement, the SAG awards are intended to demonstrate an appreciation for organizations using GIS to understand complex
data and meet challenges around the world. “The users honoured with awards are demonstrating all the ground breaking possibilities of GIS software in various
other fields such as in Academia, Health Sector, Utilities, Agriculture, but the LAA scooped the best award in the field of Land Records and cadastre,”
reads the statement in pertinent part. It further noted, “The LAA represented Lesotho among the 14 other African Countries and only two in the Land Records and Cadastre category.
The other being South Africa. Though nominations were received from 100 000 eligible candidates the LAA was among the top 5 winners worldwide. The LAA
received the award for its innovative use of land records and analytics technology, as well as leadership in the field of land administration and cadastral services”.
Sekhantšo also appreciated World Bank through Private Sector Competitiveness and Economic Diversity Programme (PSCEDP) for their important support in the award winning project.
“It indeed came at the right time when Covid-19 pandemic drastically forced organizations to adopt to
new technologies in order to minimize physical contact,” she acknowledged. She added that LAA further commits to do its outmost best to ensure grow of this partnership in their quest to serve Basotho timeously and transparently.
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