Experts advocate efficient management of land at Conference on Land Policy in Africa

Many European and African experts have advocated fair and efficient management of land during a session held on November 25 at the opening of the Conference on Land Policy in Africa. The theme of the conference 'Leaders' Perspectives: Land for Economic Transformation in Africa'. It will continue until November 29 in Abidjan.

For the third edition of this event jointly co-led by the African Union, the Economic Commission for Africa and the African Development Bank, each speaker spoke about the challenges for equitable and efficient land management in Africa. African states: Angela Thoozile Didiza, Minister of Agriculture and Agrarian Reform in South Africa, Michael Lipton, Professor of Economics at Sussex University, Bitange Ndemo, Professor at the University of Nairobi and Ali Mufurui, founder and Chief Executive Officer of Infotech Investment Group.

"We can't make small farms productive. That's why we need to find ways to make large-scale farms. Decentralize the land management system. Defining what we need in the next ten years is the way to improve the system," Bitange Ndemo said adding that the choice of technology is vital.

"We have made the system worse by issuing land titles. Giving someone a piece of land with a land title does not solve the problem: the real question is the use we make of it. The land has a life time, and we must work to exploit it so that it maximizes the benefit of the entire community. The most urgent thing today is to rethink this way of managing the land issue," said Ali Mufurui.

During the conference on land policy in Africa, a theme will be at the heart of the exchanges: corruption, especially through the theme "Win the fight against corruption in the land sector: viable path for the transformation of Africa". It is a major obstacle to efforts to promote good governance, socio-economic transformation, peace, security and human rights. The fight against corruption through the improvement of good land governance must be supported by sound policies and institutions, in order to achieve the 'Africa we want' according to the African Union Agenda 2063.