Conference on Land Policy in Africa–Continent must strengthen institutions, finance land governance


Devdiscourse News Desk | Abidjan | Updated: 28-11-2019 15:17 IST | Created: 28-11-2019 15:17 IST
Conference on Land Policy in Africa–Continent must strengthen institutions, finance land governance
The African Land Policy Conference started on November 25 and will continue until November 29. Image Credit: Pixabay
  • Country:
  • Ivory Coast

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, capital of Côte d'Ivoire.

The States of the African continent must strengthen their institutions and finance land governance in Africa: this theme was at the heart of the debates of a session organized on Tuesday, November 26, at the 3rd edition of the Conference on Land Policy in Africa.

The session, moderated by Joan Cuka Kagwanja, Head of the Land Policy Initiative (Joint African Development Bank, United Nations Economic Commission for Africa and African Union initiative), aimed to take stock of the progress made in this area, on the application of existing provisions on land, and on the challenges to be met in the coming years. A key point was agreed among the panellists: the need to create favorable conditions for a better institutional framework.

Panellists invited to the session included Minister of Agriculture and Agrarian Reform in South Africa, Angela Thoozile; professor at the American University of Lafayette, Mohamed El-Ayach, Rex Ahene; Secretary General of the National Alliance of Authorities Congo, Mfumu Difima; Head of the Department of Rural Economy and Agriculture of the African Union Commission, Janet Edeme; and professor at the Agricultural and Veterinary Institute at Hassan 2 University in Rabat, Mohamed El-Ayach.

According to Angela Thoozile, "for years, land conflicts have been common and difficult to manage in many African countries" because of two main factors: mass migration, which requires land and sustainable land rights they cultivate; and interferences between, on the one hand, customary land authorities and rules and, on the other hand, modern state land laws, which are complex and evolving. It is necessary that the authorities control the access and the exploitation of the grounds. "The issues related to the land are all the more complex that for years, we did not really find the right formula," said Mfumu Difima. According to him, the state must first meet the traditional chiefs with the community, since it is the community that is constitutive of the state.

The African Union Land Declaration encourages member states to develop comprehensive land policies that address the specific needs of each state and to build adequate human, financial and technical capacities, in accordance with the Framework and Guidelines on Land Policies in Africa.

The African Land Policy Conference started on November 25 and will continue until November 29. This conference is the outcome of the collaboration among the African Development Bank, the United Nations Commission for Africa and the African Union.

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