Ouagadougou - Burkina Faso has inaugurated its first Technical Secretary of the National Land Coordination Authority (ANCF), Sibiri Hébié, aiming to increase transparency and efficiency in state and land management. The ceremony, led by Dr. Zakaria Soré, Secretary General of the Presidency of Faso, took place on Friday morning.

According to Burkina Information Agency, Mr. Hébié, appointed on April 11 by the Council of Ministers, heads the newly created ANCF, established by decree on March 14, 2024. The ANCF, structured around an Orientation and Monitoring Council and a technical secretariat, aims to streamline the management of state, land, and cadastral affairs.

Mr. Hébié's primary focus is on advancing the ongoing digitization of land records across sectoral ministries. He outlined his strategy, stating, "It will involve coordinating existing processes to develop a unified platform accessible to both authorities and the public, aiming to digitize and dematerialize all state and land procedures."

The ANCF is tasked with challenging various land management structures to clarify their roles and collectively overhaul land management practices in Burkina Faso. One of the key initiatives under Mr. Hébié's leadership is the introduction of a 'land chip' system, designed to reduce land disputes, combat land grabbing, ensure the enforcement of property rights, and enhance the collection of sovereign revenues for government budgets.

Dr. Soré, expressing his support, encouraged Mr. Hébié to lead effectively in establishing robust land management systems in Burkina Faso and assured him of full support from the staff of the Presidency of Faso.

The ANCF, directly linked to the Presidency of Faso, also addresses issues such as irregular land use changes, corruption, and money laundering within the land and state sectors, and the maintenance of up-to-date graphic and textual information on its dedicated platform.