In developing countries the right to own landed properties as a priority can be placed just behind the right to life. Using Nigeria as a typical example, every piece of land is claimed, whether on record or not. Besides lands found almost in the middle of nowhere, ancestral ownership and transfer of such remains an unbroken tradition in defining the ownership of landed properties. There have been numerous cases involving the claim of property between the nation state and the local custodians. This occurs mostly when there is the need for the government to acquire such a property for the purpose of development or infrastructure. Most of the time, conflicts arise due to the certification of the true ownership of such lands and suggested compensation plans. Bitland initiative Christopher Bates of Bitland says that using Blockchain-based registries to keep records of land titles in rural areas is what his company initiative is all about. He adds that this will help governments at all levels to maintain a proper inventory of their real estate. He goes on to say that this is happens even though most rural areas are usually without high speed Internet and, in many cases, without electricity. Bates says: “Our initiative is focused on a full stack solution which brings local physical infrastructure in the form of Bitland Centers that have solar-powered wi-fi networks, as you cannot have Blockchain solutions without the Internet, and you cannot have the Internet without electricity.” First official ICO and partners Bitland has announced its first official ICO which is slated to begin on August 22 2016. Bates says that the ICO is targeted at raising between 4000 and 5000 Bitcoins to outfit the first Bitland centers located in Ghana and Nigeria. He explains that as the global operations are scaled up, […]
