Land, Power and Development: Rebuilding Nigeria’s Land Systems
Written by Enita Ese Okonkwo
On 18 February 2026, I joined the first session of the African Founders Webinar Series (AFWS) for the year, featuring Nnamdi Uba, founder of Sytemap. The theme, “Cracking the Code: Digitising Real Estate,” felt less like a webinar topic and more like a lived reality.
As an infrastructure engineer who has worked across public district developments and private real estate firms in Abuja, and having grown up in Lagos, my lived experience has highlighted that land ownership in Nigeria is a valuable asset to acquire, but most often as a high-risk investment.
Land, Infrastructure, and the Challenge of Abandoned Projects
Years ago, I worked on a 23-hectare district development in Maitama Extension, Abuja. Roads were laid, utilities installed, and public engineering infrastructure delivered. Then, quite suddenly, the development was abruptly closed off. In 2016, the land came into contention with the military as soon as there was a regime change. Despite the political ‘explanations’, at the end of the day, significant funds had been spent yet the infrastructure was rendered unusable and public trust eroded.
Land disputes are not just abstract policy problems; they are reflected in productivity losses, stalled timelines, stranded capital, and ruined confidence in institutions. Even personally, my family has experienced land fraud in Lagos. A plot purchased in good faith had been sold to multiple buyers. Ownership became a contest of influence rather than legality. Yet this story is not unique; many Nigerians can relate. It is a systemic challenge which is why Sytemap’s mission is so important.
The System Problem Beneath the Real Estate Problem
In Nigeria, land is governed by the Land Use Act of 1978. Technically, all land is owned by the government and leased typically for 99 years to individuals or entities. A Certificate of Occupancy (C of O) does not guarantee permanent ownership as governments retain unilateral rights to revoke land for public interest. But the legal framework is only part of the challenge.
In practice a whole host of outcomes have emerged: There are outdated or poorly implemented masterplans, unregulated and undocumented land registry systems, widespread avoidance of registration due to land levies and fees, oversubscription of plots by private developers to raise capital, families and communities reselling land without internal consensus, and multiple resales occurring without a proper updating of title records.
The overarching result is a fragmented registry ecosystem with low visibility, weak traceability, and limited accountability.
In this context, digitisation is not about convenience; it is about restoring trust.
Sytemap is Rebuilding Land Systems
Sytemap uses satellite technology and blockchain-backed verification systems to digitise proof of allocation (not ownership, given Nigeria’s legal structure). Its value proposition lies in creating systems that make land transactions visible, traceable, and verifiable before sale.
Interestingly, Systemap’s first attempt at building a digital registry targeted individual buyers (B2C). This model failed. So the company pivoted that same model to targeting businesses (B2B), enabling real estate firms to manage their portfolios digitally. It improved internal record management while increasing transparency for end buyers. This willingness to iterate stood out to me. The lesson? Innovation requires iteration and adaption. Systems change is rarely linear.
Women, Land, and Economic Power
Research shows that less than 13% of women in Sub-Saharan Africa own land and to combat this reality, Sytemap’s mission includes increasing women’s access to secure land acquisition. This endevour not only increases representation but also supports economic transformation. Land ownership influences access to loans, investment confidence, savings behaviour, and intergenerational wealth building.
In my own work across infrastructure and development, I have seen how asset ownership shifts bargaining power within households and communities. Securing land as a basic function provides shelter, but it also reflects a deeper purpose of providing collateral, stability, and leverage. Nnamdi shared that he personally delivers land documents to customers, many of whom are women; this practice builds trust and strong relationships in a low trust environment like Nigeria. In addition, Sytemap also provides a literacy component for communities on real estate, which educates and empowers its customers to make viable investment decisions.
Context Matters In Business Models
One of the most practical insights from the session was Nmandi’s rejection of blindly adopting the Silicon Valley subscription model. Instead, Sytemap created customised domain portals on which customers can access their data without rigid subscription structures. If subscription models are used, they must be low-cost and clearly aligned with perceived value. Nmandi’s advice to founders was clear: “Anyone can replicate your product. What differentiates you is the uniqueness of your process and delivery.”
Too often, we import business models without adapting to contextual realities. Yet markets are behavioural ecosystems shaped by income patterns, trust deficits, and lived experiences. The insight here is powerful: context matters more than trends.
Business models cannot simply be imported; they must be adapted to local economic behaviour.
The Hard Truth About Land Security
Even with a C of O, ownership is not absolute; governments can revoke land rights for state purposes. Many Nigerians avoid formal registration due to land levies. As a result, land can change hands multiple times while the original name remains on official records. This has several known consequences: it limits access to formal loans, investment leverage, resale value and legal protection. Moreover, some private developers oversubscribe plots to raise development capital, compounding fraud risks. Families and communities may also resell ancestral land without internal consensus.
In this context, the absence of updated, transparent registries creates a trust vacuum and while digitisation alone will not fix these challenges, it is a starting point from which we can change the status quo.
Resilience and Mission Discipline
Perhaps the most defining moment that was shared during the discussion was when Sytemap was approached by one of Nigeria’s largest banks with a buyout offer. Nnamdi declined as the company was still in the growth stage, and he believed selling would dilute the mission before the value proposition was fully realised. That decision speaks to founder discipline. Not every exit is progress. Sometimes retaining control preserves long-term impact.
Beyond Technology: The Governance Agenda
From my experience in public infrastructure delivery, digitisation without policy reform is an inadequate implementation strategy. Transformative policies require data. People often avoid registering land because of the costs. As a result, titles remain in previous owners’ names even after resale. This limits the land’s use as collateral and makes it difficult to verify true ownership. Land can pass through several owners while official records remain unchanged.
An integrative strategy to reduce land fraud and protect investments must include updated and enforced masterplans, interoperable and transparent land registries; rationalised government levies to encourage compliance, and the alignment of incentives for all stakeholders in the sector.
Land disputes have far-reaching consequences; they undermine national productivity, urban planning, investment confidence, and economic stability.
Reflection on Sustainable Development
Ultimately, what this conversation reinforced for me is that infrastructure is beyond physical assets; it is an interplay of governance, data, and institutional trust. From Abuja’s stalled districts to families in Lagos navigating land disputes, the fragility of land systems has ripple effects across housing, finance, urban planning, and economic growth. Digitising real estate in Nigeria transcends modernising paperwork. It is about restoring trust in one of the most foundational assets in society. As trust, once digitised and protected, translates into development.
The conversation demonstrated an innovative approach to PropTech and, beyond that, it provided an inspiring example of how we can redesign trust in one of Africa’s most foundational assets for future generations.
Enita Ese Okonkwo is a Civil Engineer and community builder. She graduated at the top of her class and has 15 years of experience advancing SDG 11 through more than 150 infrastructure projects that have impacted millions across Nigeria. Enita is passionate about climate-resilient infrastructure, entrepreneurship, education equity, and increasing women's participation in STEM. She is the founder of EngineRoom, a construction tech venture promoting sustainability and innovation, and The BookMarket a Meta-verified literacy platform that has distributed over 25,000 books and fostered a social community of 50,000 women and girls.
Enita is currently pursuing an MPhil in Engineering for Sustainable Development in which her research explores integrating Indigenous construction knowledge and smart construction technologies to modernise urban infrastructure development and maintenance in emerging economies like Nigeria.