(Ecofin Agency) - Last Friday, the national assembly of Senegal has adopted the law to legalize precarious land titles. At the occasion, the minister of economy, finance and planning, Amadou Ba, has revealed that only 122,000 land titles have been issued in the country since 1932.

“It is quite difficult to secure a land title. The first deed was issued in 1932; and legislation regulating the process was amended only in 2011. A reason explaining why it is so difficult to obtain a deed is that the process is too complex. This is why the president of the Republic said it should be simplified, while ensuring that the rights of citizens are preserved,” the minister told Leral.net in an interview.

The newly passed law enables the definitive transfer, free of charge, of state domains used as a habitation to their residents. The idea for this reform came from President Sall who was concerned about land tenure rights of rural populations.

Souha Touré