Nature and Outcomes of Collaborative Governance in Land Delivery

Context and background The process through which land is made available for development is facilitated by the land delivery institutions (LDIs) which could be formal or informal. While the two LDIs operate separately in many cities, there are, however, close interactions both vertically and horizontally between them with varying consequences on the land delivery system. Goal and Objectives: This paper examines the forms and outcomes of collaboration within and among land delivery institutions in Lagos, Nigeria. This is to provide information capable of improving land governance Methodology: Using a descriptive survey design, primary data were collected through interviews of 19 informants from Government Offices Providing Land Delivery Services (GOPLDS) representing the formal LDIs (FLDIs) and 23 purposively selected representatives of Indigenous Landholding Families (ILFs) in Lagos State representing the informal LDIs (ILDIs). Data were analysed using thematic analysis. Results: The study found three forms of collaboration among the LDIs, including institutional, economic and social collaborations. It was also discovered that the collaborations could result in both positive and negative outcomes. The positive outcomes included tenure security, provision of infrastructure, and ease of land accessibility among others while the negative consequence comprised varying forms of land conflicts. While collaborations with positive outcomes could result in improving land accessibility, those with negative outcomes apart from impeding access to land could spiral into social unrest leading to loss of life and properties with the consequence of destabilising the entire society. Therefore, appropriate policies and mechanisms are needed to manage inter and intra-relations among LDIs to improve land accessibility and governance.