Property services for the diaspora: mandates, powers of attorney, land titles and scams

This page is for agencies, agents, property managers and advisers who help Africans living abroad to buy land, build a house or let a property, in Togo, Senegal, Benin, Côte d'Ivoire and elsewhere. It is not a job advertisement: imonga employs no one, and it invites these professionals to register free of charge so that diaspora clients can find them. The client is far away, pays by bank transfer, signs through someone else and sees the plot only in photographs. Each of those three facts is governed by law. Below we set out the rules country by country, naming each text, and we start with the official figures on remittances. Where a point could not be read in an official text, we say so: not verified yet.

What does a property service for the diaspora actually cover?

None of the texts read for this page creates a profession called "property services for the diaspora". The phrase describes a type of client, not a legal status. Whoever serves that client is in practice doing one of the trades the law already regulates: acting as intermediary in a sale, managing a let property, overseeing building work as the client's agent, or advising and pointing the client towards a notary and a surveyor. Which status is needed therefore depends on the task, and on the country where the property sits.

In Benin, Law No. 2018-12 of 2 July 2018 restricts estate agency to people entered on the register kept by the minister responsible for housing who hold a professional card and carry professional liability insurance [1]. In Côte d'Ivoire, the 2019 Construction and Housing Code requires agencies to be licensed, to keep a dedicated bank account and to work under a written mandate [2]. In Togo, the government announced on 1 June 2026 that a law regulating estate agents was being drafted, which means that no such law had been passed by that date [3]. For Senegal, the conditions that apply to intermediaries were not re-read for this page: not verified yet.

One principle holds across all four countries: the intermediary does not stand in for the notary. Ivorian law expressly bars property professionals from drawing up deeds that transfer a right in land, and it puts "all powers of attorney relating to them" on the same list [2]. Serving the diaspora means preparing the file, checking it, chasing it and reporting back, while the deeds themselves go through the competent public officer.

How much the diaspora sends home, and how much goes into property

The Central Bank of West African States (BCEAO) tracks migrant workers' remittances as part of the Union's balance of payments. In its report for 2024 it puts remittances received by the UEMOA at CFA francs 4,284.9 billion, for a net balance of CFA francs 3,677.5 billion, up from 3,068.9 billion in 2023 [4]. Remittances received from migrant workers rose by 19.8% over the year [4].

The figure that matters most for this trade comes from household surveys the BCEAO carried out in 2023. More than half of what is received is spent on consumption; property investment comes next, at 24.3% [4]. Roughly one franc in four sent home by the diaspora ends up in a plot, a building project or a home. The same surveys estimate that more than 7.4% of remittances travel through informal channels, among them the so-called "fax" system, travellers carrying cash, and others [4].

Most of the money comes from Europe: 65.4% of the total, of which 56.8% from the euro area, with France and Italy alone supplying 26.3% and 24.1% respectively [4]. Over 2015 to 2024, Senegal received on average 46.8% of the Union's flows, followed by Mali (17.7%), Togo (9.7%) and Burkina Faso (7.9%) [4].

The World Bank publishes personal remittances received for each country. The latest values available on 26 October 2026 are about US$3.27 billion for Senegal in 2023, US$1.77 billion for Côte d'Ivoire in 2024, US$339 million for Benin in 2023 and US$650 million for Togo in 2020, the last year with data for Togo [5]. As a share of gross domestic product, remittances stand at 10.6% in Senegal (2023), 8.7% in Togo (2020), 2.0% in Côte d'Ivoire (2024) and 1.7% in Benin (2023) [6]. The two institutions do not measure quite the same thing and cover different years, so we do not add their figures together. A Togolese value more recent than 2020 was not found in the World Bank series: not verified yet.

Working under a written mandate for a client abroad

A client in London, Paris or Milan cannot attend every viewing. The mandate is the one document that states what the professional may do in the client's name, and the Beninese and Ivorian texts spell out what it must contain.

In Benin, the mandate is drawn up in as many originals as there are parties and then registered, and each original carries its number in the register of mandates that the agent keeps; each of these formalities is required on pain of nullity [1]. It must set out when the agent may receive money, how accounts will be rendered and how the agent is paid [1]. It must be limited in time, again on pain of nullity, and any extension must be in writing [1]. If the agent is allowed to commit the client to a specific transaction, the mandate must say so expressly [1]. The client may revoke it on thirty days' notice [1].

In Côte d'Ivoire, the agency must hold a written mandate stating the scope of its powers, whether it may receive funds, and its fee [2]. Money received goes into a bank account opened in the agency's name and used only for these operations [2]. Every payment must be receipted, and amounts above CFA francs 500,000 may only be accepted by cheque or by bank-to-bank transfer [2].

For a client overseas, these rules have practical bite. A vague brief such as "look after the plot" protects neither side. A mandate that identifies the property, the task, the duration, a spending ceiling and the reporting method lets the client check from abroad and lets the professional prove what was done. In Togo, with no estate agency law in force as of 1 June 2026 [3], we found no Togolese text setting the form of an intermediary's mandate: not verified yet.

Powers of attorney signed abroad: notaries, consulates and legalisation

Clients cannot always fly in to sign. They give a power of attorney to a relative, a lawyer or the professional. This is where diaspora files most often stall, because a document signed abroad has to be accepted by the authorities of the country where the property lies.

Togo's 2018 Land and State Property Code provides that, unless an international agreement says otherwise, deeds drawn up by foreign public officers must be legalised by an authorised official of the Togolese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and lodged among a notary's records [7]. The registration office may not register a deed transferring a right in land unless it is in notarial form [7]. In its chapter on co-ownership, the same code adds that a power of attorney drawn up by a foreign notary must be authenticated by the competent Togolese embassy or consulate [7].

Benin's Land and State Property Code, in its 2013 version, requires every deed executed abroad to be lodged among a notary's records, whatever its form, before it can be entered in the land registers [8]. The amendments made by Law No. 2017-15 were not re-read for this page.

In Côte d'Ivoire, powers of attorney relating to deeds that transfer a right in land are among the documents that must be executed before a notary [2]. The exact legalisation route for a power of attorney signed outside the country was not found on the official procedures portal: not verified yet.

Senegal acceded to the Hague Convention of 5 October 1961 abolishing the requirement of legalisation for foreign public documents, and it entered into force there on 23 March 2023; a public document from another contracting state can therefore be used with an apostille [9]. Togo, Benin and Côte d'Ivoire do not appear in the Hague Conference status table updated on 30 June 2026, so in those three countries an apostille does not replace legalisation [9]. Senegal's own formalities for a property power of attorney were not read: not verified yet.

One rule regularly catches families out. In Togo, any deed transferring land ownership between a Togolese citizen and a foreign national requires prior approval from the public authority, failing which it is void [7]. A diaspora client who has taken another nationality, or a foreign spouse buying in their own name, should check where they stand before signing, and the professional should raise it with them.

Checking the land before any money moves

Diaspora clients often buy on the strength of photographs and a relative's word. Yet each country keeps a public register that can be searched, and the law says who may search it.

Togo. Any transfer of ownership is conditional, on pain of absolute nullity, on the property being registered, and any sale must be preceded by that registration [7]. Anyone may obtain, free of charge, the information held in the land books, and may ask the registrar for a statement of the charges and rights affecting a given property [7]. The service standards of the Togolese Revenue Office, last updated on 27 July 2024, set the descriptive statement at CFA francs 14,500 with a three-hour turnaround, a full transfer at a flat CFA francs 35,000 in three hours, and first registration of a title at six to eighteen months [10]. The same page links to the e-Foncier and land tracking online services [10].

Benin. The 2013 code makes any transfer of ownership conditional, on pain of absolute nullity, on confirmation of rights; failing that, the seller must obtain from the National Land and State Property Agency (ANDF) a certificate of ownership valid for one year and not renewable [8]. Any citizen with a legitimate interest may obtain information from the land register, at their own expense [8]. Through the public services portal, the ANDF offers online cadastral plan extracts, certificates of ownership, descriptive statements and land title applications [11]. The fees and turnaround times for these online services could not be read: not verified yet.

Senegal. Law No. 2011-07 of 30 March 2011 on land ownership makes the land title final and unchallengeable, and the sole starting point for all rights over the property [12]. Anyone may obtain information from the land books, on payment of search and copying fees, by a written request to the registrar, which may ask for a statement of the charges and rights over a given property [12].

Côte d'Ivoire. The official procedures portal lets anyone request a statement of rights attached to a land title from the Land and Mortgage Registry, with an application and a copy of an identity document, and a stated turnaround of two days [13]. For urban land, the final concession order (ACD) is requested from the one-stop land and housing office; the file includes a plan stamped by the cadastre's sworn surveyor and a land status statement with its history, at CFA francs 80,000 for an individual [14]. The portal gives no processing time for the ACD: not verified yet.

The working rule that follows from all of this is short: no deposit until you hold a statement issued by the land office, in the seller's name, and only a few days old.

Moving the money: exchange rules, supporting documents and due diligence

The client's money usually comes from outside the Union. UEMOA Regulation No. 06/2024/CM/UEMOA of 20 December 2024 on external financial relations sets the common framework for the eight member states [15].

The regulation treats as non-residents individuals whose main centre of economic interest is abroad, which covers most diaspora clients [15]. It defines direct investment as the acquisition of non-financial assets or a stake of at least 10% in a company, and foreign investment in the UEMOA as investment by a non-resident [15]. Such investment is free, subject to national administrative formalities, and must be declared for statistical purposes to the finance ministry and the BCEAO [15]. When the property is later sold to a resident, the proceeds can only be sent abroad on production of documents evidencing the sale [15].

Transfers between a Union country and a third country may only go through the BCEAO, the postal administration, a licensed bank or a licensed bureau de change [15]. Money transfer operators, e-money issuers and payment institutions must pay all foreign currency received into a licensed bank [15]. Small transfers are exempt from supporting documents below a threshold set by the BCEAO [15]; that threshold was not read for this page: not verified yet. Within the Union, capital moves freely, subject to anti-money-laundering rules [15].

Those anti-money-laundering rules reach straight into property. The bill sent to Benin's National Assembly in 2017, which reproduces the UMOA uniform law, provides that the price of a property sale at or above a threshold set by the competent authority may only be paid by transfer or cheque, and that anyone carrying out or advising on property transactions must identify the parties [16]. The threshold in force was not read: not verified yet. In Côte d'Ivoire, an agency may only accept sums above CFA francs 500,000 by cheque or transfer [2].

For the professional the consequence is plain. The client's money passes through an identified bank account, never as cash handed to a go-between, and each payment is tied to a document: a sale agreement, an invoice, a call for funds. The 7.4% of informal transfers recorded by the BCEAO are exactly the ones that leave no usable trail if a dispute arises [4].

Land scams the authorities have warned about

Diaspora buyers are targeted because they pay from a distance and seldom check. The authorities say as much.

In Benin, on 25 September 2025 the government relayed a warning from the ANDF about a notice and a price list dated 21 September 2025, attributed to its director general, which advertised plots for sale in Porto-Novo, Cotonou and Parakou [17]. The agency called them crude forgeries and a large-scale fraud attempt, and pointed out that it has no property development role and neither trades in land nor acts as an intermediary [17]. Any offer of plots "sold by the ANDF" is false by definition.

In Senegal, newspapers reported warnings in 2026 from the Ministry of Urban Planning about a fake website collecting subscription fees for serviced plots. The ministry's own site was down for maintenance on 26 October 2026, so the notice could not be read there: not verified yet. For Togo and Côte d'Ivoire, no official warning of this kind was read for this page: not verified yet.

The land codes name the most common offence. In Togo, anyone who knowingly transfers a title they know is not theirs, and anyone who knowingly accepts such a transfer, is guilty of stellionate (fraudulent sale of property one does not own) [7]. Subdividing land that has no land title is punishable there by a fine of CFA francs 1,000,000 to 5,000,000 and two to five years' imprisonment [7]. In Benin, the 2013 code punishes stellionate with five to ten years' imprisonment and a fine of CFA francs 5,000,000 to 10,000,000, and notaries or other public officers who drafted the deeds are prosecuted as accomplices [8].

The warning signs in these alerts are familiar: a public body presented as the seller, a mobile money payment demanded before any visit, a website mimicking an official address, a price far below other offers in the same area. A reputable professional stands out by doing the opposite: providing the land office statement, naming the notary who will draw up the deed, and taking money only into an identified account.

Building and letting a property from afar

After the purchase come the building work and, often, the letting. These are two separate jobs, and each needs its own written brief.

When a client buys off plan, Côte d'Ivoire requires the sale of a property under construction to be made by notarial deed, stating the origin of the rights in the land, the building permit references, the price, the payment terms, the delivery date and the seller's undertaking to hand over the final concession order [2]. Those items make a useful checklist for any distant buyer: a contract missing some of them should be reviewed before anyone signs.

When the client builds on their own plot, the professional acts as agent. The mandate must then state whether the agent may commit the client to a given transaction, such as signing a contract with a builder, as Beninese law requires [1]. It must also say how money is received and how the agent accounts for it [1].

For lettings, Beninese law sets two caps: the fee may not exceed 50% of one month's rent when the agent only introduces the parties, and 10% of the monthly rent each month when the agent manages the home for the landlord [1]. It also forbids the agent from buying or renting, directly or through a nominee, a property they have been instructed to sell or let [1]. In Côte d'Ivoire, rent collected goes through the agency's dedicated account and is receipted [2]. Equivalent caps in Togo and Senegal were not re-read for this page: not verified yet.

A diaspora client judges a manager by what can be seen from abroad: monthly statements, copies of rent receipts, dated photographs of the works, tradesmen's invoices. This reporting is not a courtesy. In both Benin and Côte d'Ivoire, how accounts are rendered is part of what the mandate must contain [1] [2].

Country by country: what has been checked

• Togo: registration required before any sale, notarial deed to transfer a right in land, foreign deeds legalised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and lodged with a notary, prior approval for a transfer to a foreign national [7]; descriptive statement at CFA francs 14,500 in three hours [10]; estate agency law being drafted as of 1 June 2026 [3].
• Senegal: land title final and unchallengeable, land books open to search [12]; apostille in force since 23 March 2023 [9]; the Union's largest recipient of remittances over 2015 to 2024 [4]. Intermediary status and power of attorney formalities: not verified yet.
• Benin: confirmation of rights or certificate of ownership before any sale, deeds executed abroad lodged with a notary [8]; register and card for agents, registered mandate, fee caps [1]; ANDF online land services [11].
• Côte d'Ivoire: licensed agencies, written mandate, dedicated account, powers of attorney before a notary [2]; statement of rights in two days [13]; ACD from the one-stop land and housing office [14].
• UEMOA common framework: the 2024 regulation on external financial relations [15] and the BCEAO's remittance figures [4].
• Morocco: party to the Apostille Convention since 14 August 2016 [9]; Moroccan land law itself was not read: not verified yet.
• Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, Cameroon, Gabon, Guinea, Kenya: no text specific to this work was read for this page: not verified yet. Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, as UEMOA members, fall under the 2024 common regulation [15].

Presenting your diaspora service on imonga

This is not a job offer. imonga does not hire property professionals for the diaspora: the platform invites those who already work for clients living abroad to register, present their business, list their properties or services and receive enquiries from private clients, in Africa and across the diaspora. Creating the account and the profile is free; the terms for publishing are set out on the Pricing page. You stay independent, you set your own fees, and you remain bound by the rules of your country described above. On your profile, say which towns you cover, which tasks you take on (buying, overseeing building work, letting) and how you report to clients abroad. To begin, create your professional account and choose the "Property services for the diaspora" type.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a professional card to help diaspora clients buy?

It depends on the country and the task. In Benin, estate agents must be on the housing ministry's register and hold a professional card [1]. In Côte d'Ivoire, agencies must be licensed [2]. In Togo, a law on the profession was being drafted as of 1 June 2026 [3]. For Senegal: not verified yet.

Is a power of attorney signed in France valid in Togo?

It has to be recognised first. Togo's land code requires deeds drawn up by foreign public officers to be legalised by the Togolese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and lodged among a notary's records, unless an international agreement provides otherwise [7]. Togo is not a party to the Apostille Convention [9].

How can land be checked without travelling?

By asking the land office for a statement of rights or a descriptive statement in the seller's name. In Togo the descriptive statement costs CFA francs 14,500 and takes three hours [10]; in Côte d'Ivoire the statement of rights is listed at two days [13]; in Benin the ANDF offers several services online [11].

Does Benin's land agency sell plots?

No. In its warning relayed by the Beninese government on 25 September 2025, the ANDF stated that it has no property development role and neither trades in land nor acts as an intermediary [17].

Can the client pay for land with cash handed to a relative?

It should be avoided. The uniform law text taken up in Benin provides that above a threshold set by the competent authority, the price of a property sale may only be paid by transfer or cheque [16], and in Côte d'Ivoire an agency may only accept more than CFA francs 500,000 by cheque or transfer [2].

What share of diaspora remittances goes into property?

According to the 2023 surveys quoted by the BCEAO in its 2024 balance of payments report, 24.3% of remittances received in the UEMOA go into property investment, after consumption, which takes more than half [4].

How much may a letting manager charge in Benin?

No more than 10% of the monthly rent each month when managing the home for the landlord, and no more than 50% of one month's rent when only introducing the parties [1].