When Paper Burns: Ukraine’s War, Land Rights, and the Case for Blockchain
In moments of war, a society’s foundations are tested in the harshest ways. Ukraine’s experience since Russia’s 2022 invasion is a powerful example — a nation torn apart not only by the immediate violence of tanks and missiles, but also by the quiet, lasting devastation of losing what people own. Property rights are not merely technical. They are the bedrock of dignity, belonging, and future investment. When families cannot prove their claim to a piece of land or a roof over their heads, they lose far more than an asset — they lose their security, their future, and often their very identity. A 2022 rapid needs assessment, published with contributions from the Global Land Alliance, De Montfort University, the Kyiv School of Economics, and other partners, lays bare the scale of the problem: This is not a uniquely Ukrainian story. This is a global cautionary tale. Paper Titles Are No Match for Fire, Flood, or War For centuries, land ownership has depended on physical deeds. Paper is cheap, simple, and — in peacetime — reliable enough. But it is also fragile. War shows how quickly paper burns. Floods show how quickly it dissolves. Corruption shows how easily it can be stolen, forged, or hidden away. In Ukraine, the vulnerability of paper-based systems has been tragically exposed. Before the war, only about 40% of property titles were fully digitized in the national electronic registry. Many rural and older urban properties still depended on Soviet-era documents or on local archives. When Russian troops and artillery destroyed city halls, regional land offices, and court buildings, thousands of records vanished with them. Even in the best-case scenario, recovering paper deeds from bombed-out buildings is impossible. That means millions of Ukrainians will be forced to enter lengthy, uncertain, and often corrupt restitution systems to prove that the land or house they lived in for generations truly belonged to them. What Ukraine Teaches the World Ukraine’s tragedy is a profound lesson for the global land rights movement. From Sudan to Syria, Haiti to Pakistan, natural disasters, climate change, and conflict threaten land tenure every year. It is not an exaggeration to say that hundreds of millions of people globally live on land that is only as secure as a piece of paper in a local drawer. In fragile and conflict-affected regions, this becomes a license for the powerful — whether armed groups, criminal networks, or corrupt officials — to grab land from the powerless. When a person cannot produce a document to prove ownership, they often have no practical means to fight back. Ukraine’s policy assessment specifically called for digitization of archives, creation of interoperable databases, and even the use of remote-sensing data to help validate ownership. These are important steps. But they still suffer from one fundamental weakness: they rely on centralized systems. Servers can be hacked or physically destroyed. Governments can be captured or corrupted. Blockchain: Resilience by Design That is why Landano’s mission matters. Blockchain is not just a digital ledger — it is a resilience technology. Unlike a traditional database stored on one or two servers, blockchain distributes copies of every record across a global network. No single failure, no single bomb, no single corrupt official can alter or erase it. Imagine if Ukraine’s land records had been recorded on blockchain before the war. A farmer in Donbas, displaced to Poland or Germany, could still cryptographically prove her claim. A bank in Lviv could instantly verify the ownership of a damaged apartment for compensation claims. Insurance payouts could be triggered automatically by smart contracts tied to trusted damage reports. Blockchain makes fraud nearly impossible because records cannot be changed without cryptographic consensus. Ownership is transparent, traceable, and auditable by anyone who needs to see it. Most importantly, it is borderless — it works even when physical government offices are destroyed or occupied. Landano’s Vision Landano was founded on a simple but powerful idea: that people deserve land records that cannot burn, drown, or vanish. We believe land is more than an asset — it is the foundation of generational wealth, stability, and community. When that foundation is fragile, society is fragile. By leveraging blockchain, Landano seeks to build a new standard for property rights: Tamper-proof: no one can alter your title without consensus.Globally accessible: titles recoverable even in exile.Disaster-resistant: no flood, fire, or war can destroy the chain.Community-owned: local authorities and communities can co-govern the system. These features directly answer the vulnerabilities laid bare by Ukraine’s war. They are not theoretical. They are the natural evolution of land rights technology. Policy Reflections from Ukraine The Ukrainian government, to its credit, is working to build a more modern land system in the aftermath of invasion. According to the rapid needs assessment, officials have: These efforts are vital. But as the policy brief notes, they face severe challenges: Landano’s approach could complement these efforts. A blockchain-based property registry could act as a trust anchor, providing verifiable, unalterable records that integrate with national systems while guaranteeing resilience beyond them. A Global Wake-Up Call For the rest of the world, Ukraine should serve as a wake-up call. We cannot wait for the next war, hurricane, or flood to wipe out land records before modernizing. We need to build secure, decentralized, community-driven registries now, before the next disaster strikes. Consider these examples: Haiti, after the 2010 earthquake, faced years of bitter land disputes because property archives were buried in rubble.Pakistan, after the 2022 floods, saw entire villages unable to prove land rights when paper deeds washed away.Syria, with entire towns displaced, struggles with proving ownership of farmlands amid lost or falsified records. In all these places, blockchain could have given survivors the ability to stand on solid ground, legally and financially. A Human Right to Proof At its heart, this is about human dignity. Land is more than dirt and concrete. It is where your ancestors lived, where your children will grow, where your memories reside. When you lose proof of your land, you lose the ability to protect your family’s past
Canadian Company Launches Groundbreaking Land Management App in Ghana
Landano International, a Canadian‑based company, is committed to breaking the barriers in Ghana’s land management system. Tackling Ghana’s Long-Standing Land Conflict Crisis For years, land management has been a significant challenge in Ghana, leading to numerous conflicts and social issues. Research by Ebenezer Ankomah Gyamera PhD, in 2016, found that land cases constitute about 59 percent of total court cases in Ghana, with an average increase of 25 percent in cases every year. Disturbingly, only 10 percent of these cases are settled every year. The findings also concluded that the major cause of land conflict is the sale of land to multiple owners. Given this, Landano International has developed a robust mobile application that monitors and reports in real time the details of land ownership. Stakeholder Engagement with Traditional Leaders In a stakeholders summit with Adansi chiefs at Adansi Asokwa in the Ashanti region of Ghana, Nana Kwadwo Safo, Ghana’s Community Ambassador for Landano, explained that an in‑depth study has been conducted to understand the problem at hand, and he is optimistic that their robust system will put an end to these issues. “Our main goal is to curb the conflicts associated with land management. Our team of experts, after extensive research and deliberation, has developed a platform that enables landowners to manage and track their lands on their phones, eliminating the need for travel. This will help traditional leaders to know who owns what land and also prevent the sale of a single land to multiple owners.” He further stated that Landano will be working collaboratively with the Lands Commission and the Department of Stool Lands to ensure that land conflicts become a thing of the past using their state‑of‑the‑art application. A Vision for Transparency and Collaboration Present at the gathering was Dan Junior Amankona, the Chief Commercial & Marketing Officer of Landano, who underlined the importance of openness and collaboration. He stated: “Our unity here today is inspired by a common love for Ghana and its people. It is truly a privilege and a blessing to collaborate with such visionary leaders. As the son of the chief of Kato, a town in the Bono region, I am deeply familiar with the challenges that chiefs encounter as they strive to elevate their communities. At Landano, we pride ourselves on valuing the insights of chiefs and their constituents, and we aspire to deliver a sustainable solution to Ghana’s land management systems. Our model will ultimately facilitate the connection of chiefs and landowners with international funding opportunities that would foster the development of Ghana’s communities and economy.” The Excitement of Nananom The overjoyed Gyasehene of Bodwesango in the Ashanti region of Ghana, Nana Adu Gyamfi III, described the day as one of the happiest days of his life. He stated that being able to manage, monitor, and track land on a mobile phone is a novelty to him, and it is something that would be embraced wholeheartedly. He believes this innovation is a game‑changer and will definitely solve land disputes. Nana Akwasi Buaben, the Gyaasehene of Adansi Dompoase, also alluded to the fact that for years, chiefs all over Ghana have had issues managing their lands, especially with setting boundaries. However, with the assurance and training given, he is optimistic that it will be a thing of the past. He used the opportunity to heap praises on the Landano team and pledge support for the project. Institutional Support from the Stool Lands Secretariat On the part of the Stool Lands Secretariat, Dr. Isaac Osei Boahen, Adansihene Stool Lands Manager, stated that his office will benefit greatly from the project. He believes that boundary issues, which cause a lot of conflicts, will be solved and ultimately result in an increase in revenue generation. Core Challenges in Ghana’s Land Administration Stool lands in Ghana constitute about 80% of land holdings in Ghana, but have consistently been plagued with: Landano’s Blockchain-Based Approach The Landano team believes that these issues can be improved by introducing its higher‑quality, blockchain‑based records management for land administration using sustainable web3 software. Pilot Project Success in Rural Ashanti Region Landano embarked on its innovative pilot project in March 2022, focusing on community outreach in the rural Ashanti region, specifically the town Hiawu Besease. This groundbreaking initiative was led by their talented Head Geospatial Engineer, Abdul Razak, who brought his extensive experience and unique expertise to the fore. The project focused on land management systems, leveraging technology to improve accuracy, transparency, and efficiency. It integrated elements of local knowledge, cultural norms, and legal guidelines, aiming to strike a balance between modern methods and traditional practices. This comprehensive endeavour aimed not only to enhance the productivity and sustainability of the land but also to empower the local communities by involving them directly in the process. The end goal of this pioneering work was to provide a blueprint for similar projects in other rural regions, thereby contributing significantly to the broader economic development of Ghana. In attendance at the summit were chiefs from Adansi Fomena division, Adansi Dompoase division and Bodwesango division. The full complement of the project is expected to be released soon.