The Customary Land Use Certificate (ADU), an administrative document that establishes the legal connection between a person and a plot of land, will become the only required document for applying for the Definitive Concession Decree (ACD) starting January 1, 2025, announced Bruno Nabagné Koné, Minister of Construction, Housing, and Urban Planning.

The minister made the announcement during an online session on Wednesday, December 18, 2024, at his office in Abidjan Plateau, as part of "GouvTalk," an online exchange forum initiated by the Government Information and Communication Center (CICG).

"The ADU, which replaces the village certificate, will be required from January 1, 2025, by all buyers for any new land requests. Equipped with a QR code, the ADU eliminates the risk of double land allocation. From January 1, 2025, no other document, including the village certificate, will be accepted in the land acquisition process," explained Bruno Nabagné Koné. He also warned future land buyers about the risks of accepting the village certificate, which will no longer be valid.

According to the minister, "The ADU is a secure path, a document that guarantees 100% security for land acquisition and reduces the complexity of the process for obtaining the ACD."

Regarding buyers who hold a village certificate but have not yet obtained their ACD, the minister clarified: "Those in an approved subdivision must begin the ACD application process with their village certificate. As for those whose plots are in unapproved subdivisions, they must pressure the sellers to get the subdivision approved."

The minister revealed that there are currently over 2,000 cases of unapproved subdivisions in Côte d'Ivoire. However, he reassured the public that a large program is underway to regularize the situation. Since July 1, 2024, the ministry has required all village guides where land requests are registered to be frozen. This will help secure land acquisition operations.