Korea Donates Vehicles and Equipment for Land Titling Project

Activities under the Land Administration and Management Programme (LAMP) have been boosted, with the provision of motor vehicles and equipment by the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA).

The donation, inclusive of three utility vehicles and several pieces of land surveying and mapping equipment, with accompanying computers and software, form part of allocations under the Cadastral Mapping and Land Registration in Jamaica Project.

Minister of Water, Land, Environment and Climate Change, Hon. Robert Pickersgill, formally accepted the vehicles and equipment from Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to Jamaica, His Excellency Kimo Lim, during the project's launch on Friday (March 8), at the St. Mary Parish Church hall in Port Maria.

Mr. Pickersgill, who represented Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Portia Simpson Miller, who was in Venezuela for the state funeral of late President, Hugo Chavez, welcomed the donation.

"The introduction of advanced land surveying technologies will improve LAMP's capacity to deliver land titles, and we will also see the further mobilisation of legal and land surveying teams in the targeted parishes. Needless to say, our country will benefit significantly from the execution of this project," Mr. Pickersgill stated.

In his brief remarks, Ambassador Lim described the project as a "good example" of the partnership between both countries, which spans 50 years.

He expressed the hope that Jamaica and Korea will seek to further strengthen their partnership through collaborations on matters of mutual interest    

LAMP's Project Director, Lisa Campbell, in expressing gratitude, stated that the donation will "enable us to move forward with our mandate, which is simply land titling."

The Cadastral Mapping and Land Registration project , for which an agreement was signed by the Ministry and KOICA last week, is an addendum to the contract for LAMP's second phase, and will facilitate expansion of the land titling process into St. Ann, St. Mary, and Portland.  

Additional benefits include the provision of skills training in the areas of land surveying, cadastral mapping, and geo informatics for LAMP's officers.   

Some 1,000 parcels of land in the targeted parishes, currently being occupied informally, are being targeted for the delivery of titles to the property holders.

Korea Cadastral Survey Corporation, which has been assisting with the implementation of LAMP's second phase, will, over the next two years, invest over US$2 million in the project, with the option to spend a further US$26 million over 10 years, thereafter.

LAMP, which started in 2000, aims to formalise the holdings of land holders currently without titles for their properties, by assisting them to secure these documents. The initiative, which commenced as a pilot in St. Catherine, has since been extended to include all parishes, except Kingston and St. Andrew, and Portmore and its environs.

KOICA is the agency of Korea's Foreign Affairs and Trade Ministry responsible for implementing grant aid and technical cooperation programmes internationally.