Africa’s property sector remains one of the continent’s largest yet least digitized markets. Despite decades of technological advancement, millions of dollars are still lost annually to fraudulent land sales, duplicate allocations, poor record-keeping, and lengthy verification processes.
For many Africans, buying land is still an exercise built more on trust than transparency.
While blockchain has largely been associated with cryptocurrencies and digital assets, a growing number of startups are applying the technology to solve real-world infrastructure problems. One of them is Sytemap, a Nigerian PropTech company using blockchain to digitize land records, improve property verification, and simplify real estate transactions.
In this edition of CoinAfrica One-on-One, we spoke with Nnamdi Uba, Founder and CEO of Sytemap, about why Africa’s land administration needs a technological overhaul, how blockchain-powered land registries can reduce fraud, why tokenization must reflect African realities, and how artificial intelligence could reshape property markets over the next decade.
Q: Tell us about your technology journey and what eventually led to building Sytemap.
Nnamdi Uba:
Technology has always been my passion.
Even before entering university, I was already teaching computer science. When I eventually studied Information Technology, I knew I wanted my career to revolve around building technology products that solved practical problems.
After graduating, I worked in IT at MTN before co-founding a cryptocurrency exchange called BitPayer around 2016–2017, during the ICO boom.
That experience changed everything.
We experienced one of our biggest security incidents when the exchange was hacked. Around the same period, my co-founder bought land that later turned out to have multiple ownership claims.
That incident forced us to ask a simple question:
“Can blockchain solve land ownership?”
That question eventually became Sytemap.
At the time, countries like Georgia were already experimenting with blockchain-based land registries. We believed Africa could build something similar while adapting it to local realities rather than simply copying foreign models.
Q: Many successful startups begin with founders experiencing a personal problem. Was that frustration the turning point?
Nnamdi Uba:
Absolutely.
Our crypto exchange exposed us to blockchain technology, but the land dispute made the opportunity obvious.
When you discover you’ve legally paid for land that someone else also claims to own, you immediately realize the system itself is broken.
Instead of treating blockchain as another cryptocurrency application, we began looking at it as infrastructure.
The objective wasn’t simply to build another blockchain startup.
It was to build trust into one of Africa’s most important asset classes.
Q: Despite decades of technological advancement, land transactions across much of Africa remain slow and vulnerable to fraud. Why has this problem been so difficult to solve?
Nnamdi Uba:
The biggest obstacle isn’t technology.
It’s policy.
Using Nigeria as an example, the Land Use Act concentrates enormous power in the hands of state governors.
Technically, the governor controls every parcel of land within the state.
Even after Certificates of Occupancy are issued, governments still retain powers that allow revocation under certain circumstances.
That creates uncertainty for property owners and discourages long-term digital innovation.
Beyond legislation, there’s another challenge.
Many public institutions are reluctant to automate processes because people often associate manual approvals with job security and administrative control.
We’ve seen situations where government officials preferred manual payment confirmations over automated systems because they felt automation would reduce their role.
Technology can automate repetitive administrative work, allowing officials to focus on governance rather than paperwork.
But changing that mindset remains one of Africa’s biggest digital transformation challenges.
Q: Most people associate blockchain with cryptocurrencies. How does blockchain actually improve property ownership?
Nnamdi Uba:
Blockchain provides transparency.
Every land transaction processed through our system is recorded on our blockchain explorer, allowing transactions to be viewed in real time.
Once a buyer completes payment, Sytemap automatically generates a blockchain-based certificate of allocation in the form of an NFT.
It’s important to clarify something here.
We deliberately avoid calling it proof of ownership because governments still issue legal ownership documents.
Instead, we issue blockchain-backed proof of allocation while simultaneously helping clients register survey plans or deeds through existing government processes.
Our goal isn’t to replace governments.
It’s to strengthen transparency while integrating with today’s legal framework.
Q: Real World Asset (RWA) tokenization is becoming one of blockchain’s biggest narratives globally. How do you see land tokenization evolving in Africa?
Nnamdi Uba:
Africa shouldn’t simply copy Western tokenization models.
Globally, people talk about investing ten or twenty dollars into fractional property ownership.
That isn’t necessarily what African buyers want.
Here, people generally prefer owning an actual piece of land.
Instead of dividing a single plot among dozens of investors, we tokenize entire estates into buildable plots.
Each NFT corresponds to land that people can physically visit, develop or resell.
That’s much more aligned with local expectations.
One interesting area we’ve focused on is women.
Research showed women own less than ten percent of property across much of Africa.
Rather than selling only standard plots, we introduced half-plot ownership that remains affordable while still allowing buyers to build homes.
That’s tokenization designed specifically for African realities rather than imported assumptions.
“Blockchain shouldn’t replace governments—it should strengthen transparency while working alongside existing legal systems.”
— Nnamdi Uba
Q: How important is government collaboration in building blockchain-powered land registries?
Nnamdi Uba:
Government partnerships are important, but they aren’t easy.
Initially, we tried approaching governments with ideas.
Eventually, we realized ideas alone weren’t enough.
We needed proof of execution.
So we shifted our strategy toward private-sector adoption.
We worked with hundreds of real estate developers, demonstrated transaction volumes, and built credibility before returning to government agencies.
Today, that approach has resulted in partnerships with the Anambra State Housing Development Corporation, the Lagos State Government, the Federal Ministry of Housing and Urban Development, and the Real Estate Developers Association of Nigeria (REDAN).
Those partnerships allow us to digitize estate allocations, reduce duplicate land sales and improve property verification systems.
For us, both government and private-sector collaboration remain essential.
We simply move faster wherever adoption is strongest.
Q: Artificial intelligence, blockchain and geospatial technology are converging rapidly. What role will AI play in Sytemap’s future?
Nnamdi Uba:
AI is already helping us automate payment verification and allocation workflows.
Once payments are confirmed, the system automatically records transactions, generates allocation certificates, and updates customer records.
Our next objective is AI-assisted geospatial mapping.
We want a future where someone uploads an approved estate layout and artificial intelligence automatically maps every parcel onto satellite imagery without manual intervention.
Ultimately, our vision is straightforward.
Anyone anywhere in the world should be able to open an application, identify available plots, verify ownership status, and complete transactions with confidence.
AI can dramatically accelerate that vision.
Q: Many African startups copy successful models from Silicon Valley. What parts of Sytemap were deliberately designed for African realities instead?
Nnamdi Uba:
One of the biggest examples is tokenization itself.
People often ask why we don’t simply allow someone to buy $10 worth of a property.
The answer is simple—because that’s not how most Africans think about property ownership.
Across much of Africa, people want to own land they can physically identify, visit and eventually build on.
They want a tangible asset with their name attached to it.
That’s why our model focuses on tokenizing estates into individual buildable plots rather than fractionalizing a single property among hundreds of investors.
Another important adaptation came from studying women in real estate.
We discovered that women own less than 10% of property across many African markets.
Instead of expecting them to purchase full plots, we introduced half-plot ownership, making land more affordable without sacrificing actual ownership.
Technology should adapt to local markets—not expect local markets to adapt to technology.
Q: What’s the biggest misconception people have when they hear “blockchain for land”?
Nnamdi Uba:
Most people immediately ask one question:
“Where’s the token?”
Many assume every blockchain business must issue a tradable cryptocurrency.
That’s never been our focus.
For us, blockchain is infrastructure.
The NFT represents proof of land allocation—not speculation.
We later introduced a utility token purely as a customer rewards mechanism.
Whenever customers pay land installments, they earn reward tokens that can be redeemed for shopping vouchers at partner retailers.
That’s very different from launching another speculative crypto asset.
Our priority has always been transparency.
Whether someone is in Lagos, London or New York, they should be able to verify transactions, monitor payments and locate their property from anywhere in the world.
“Blockchain isn’t valuable because it creates another token. It’s valuable because it creates trust.”
— Nnamdi Uba
Q: If you could redesign Africa’s land administration system from scratch, what would you change first?
Nnamdi Uba:
The priority would be transaction automation.
Today, property transactions still depend heavily on manual approvals.
That slows everything down.
If payments, ownership transfers, registry updates, and verification could happen automatically through secure digital infrastructure, buyers would have much greater confidence.
Countries like Rwanda and Dubai have demonstrated that digital land registration is achievable.
Nigeria can get there too.
The challenge isn’t technical capability.
It’s creating the political and institutional willingness to automate systems that have historically depended on manual processes.
Ironically, governments could also increase internally generated revenue by digitizing these transactions because every transfer becomes transparent, traceable, and easier to tax.
Digitization isn’t simply about efficiency.
It’s also good economics.
Q: Looking ahead to 2035, what does success look like for Sytemap and Africa’s property market?
Nnamdi Uba:
Success means eliminating uncertainty.
One of the findings from our research was that roughly 75% of people who buy land from many developers don’t actually know where their plots are.
They purchase documents.
They don’t purchase certainty.
If those developers disappear tomorrow, many buyers wouldn’t know how to locate their land.
That has to change.
Our vision is simple.
Anyone should be able to choose land digitally, complete payment, receive allocation, register documentation, and locate that property using satellite navigation from anywhere in the world.
The platform should remove fear from property ownership.
That’s the future we’re building toward.
Q: Sytemap has secured approximately $400,000 in funding. What convinced investors that blockchain infrastructure for land was worth backing?
Nnamdi Uba:
Two things helped.
First, investors understood the blockchain opportunity.
Second, they understood the social impact.
We positioned Sytemap as more than a PropTech company.
We’re addressing Sustainable Development Goals around justice, sustainable communities, and partnerships by reducing land fraud before disputes even occur.
Equally important, we pitched the right investors.
Rather than approaching investors unfamiliar with blockchain infrastructure, we focused on people who already understood both digital assets and African property markets.
That alignment made conversations much easier.
Sometimes fundraising isn’t only about the idea.
It’s also about finding investors who already understand the problem you’re solving.
Q: Beyond real estate, which Real World Asset (RWA) sector do you believe blockchain will disrupt next in Africa?
Nnamdi Uba:
Transportation.
If I weren’t building in real estate today, I’d probably be tokenizing commercial vehicles.
Imagine ten investors jointly owning buses that generate recurring income.
Revenue could be distributed automatically while operators manage maintenance and daily operations.
We’re already experimenting with similar thinking.
One of our initiatives combines land ownership with agricultural productivity.
Customers own land while farmers cultivate it, allowing owners to benefit from agricultural output alongside land appreciation.
Real World Assets don’t stop with property.
Africa has enormous opportunities wherever productive assets generate recurring value.
Quick Fire with Nnamdi Uba
Q: One African founder everyone should know?
Nnamdi highlighted the leadership behind Bumpa, praising the team’s consistency and execution since the company’s earliest days. He also credited Paystack founders for inspiring his own transition into entrepreneurship, while revealing that advice from Flutterwave Co-Founder Iyinoluwa Aboyeji influenced Sytemap’s strategic pivot from pursuing government-first partnerships to building traction through the private sector before returning to public institutions.
Q: Bitcoin or Ethereum?
Bitcoin.
Although he once lost access to 11 ETH because of a wallet recovery issue, Uba says Bitcoin remains his preferred long-term asset.
Q: Which African country should people watch for PropTech innovation?
Kenya.
According to Uba, Kenya continues to lead innovation in African property technology, with Ghana following closely behind.
Sytemap also plans expansion into Kenya as part of its continental growth strategy.
Q: Which will have the bigger impact by 2035: AI or tokenization?
Artificial Intelligence.
While tokenization continues to mature, Uba believes AI is already delivering immediate productivity gains by automating workflows and making sophisticated technology accessible to businesses of every size.
Key Takeaways
- Blockchain’s strongest real-world application may be infrastructure rather than speculation.
- Africa’s property market requires localized tokenization models rather than imported frameworks.
- Government collaboration remains essential, but private-sector adoption can accelerate innovation.
- AI is expected to significantly improve land mapping, verification, and transaction automation.
- Digital land registries could reduce fraud, improve investor confidence and expand property ownership across Africa.
- Real World Asset tokenization is likely to expand beyond real estate into sectors such as transportation and agriculture.
Conclusion
Sytemap’s journey reflects a broader evolution taking place across Africa’s blockchain ecosystem. Rather than building technology for its own sake, startups are increasingly applying distributed ledger infrastructure to longstanding economic challenges.
For Nnamdi Uba, blockchain is not primarily about cryptocurrencies or speculative assets. It is about creating trusted digital infrastructure for one of Africa’s most valuable asset classes.
Whether through blockchain-powered property verification, AI-assisted land mapping, or localized approaches to real-world asset tokenization, Sytemap is betting that Africa’s next wave of innovation will come from solving practical problems rather than following global hype cycles.
If that vision succeeds, buying land in Africa could eventually become as transparent as sending a digital payment.
You may also like: GetEquity CEO Jude Dike on Tokenization, AI, and the Future of Africa’s Capital Markets
