Africa is the second largest continent in the world in terms of land width. Its land is also highly resourceful as it is suitable for agriculture, mining, tourism and manufacturing industry, among others. Therefore, land is a valuable resource in the continent that should be harnessed properly to drive the economic growth of the continent rapidly.
In a recent conference related to the land policy in Africa, experts from around the continent have reflected their say for the future of the continents land use policy.
In the AfCFTA negotiations, land issues lie in the domain of domestic regulations. A Press Release from UNECA indicated that assured land tenure and land security is the only way to support intra African investments, which Mr. Makong said, are still low in Africa. The success of the investment protocol under the AfCFTA will depend on countries’ domestic laws and the alignment of such laws with the AfCFTA.
“There are guidelines on land reforms that need to be turned into regulations within the domestic systems. Policy coherence has to be at the heart of what we do. This can be achieved by engaging everyone, including women and youth at the grassroots level,” said Mr. Makong.
Eileen Wakesho, Director, Community Land Protection at Namati, Kenya said the focus on AfCFTA is mainly on the movement of goods, services and people and the economic benefits to be accrued, however the biggest challenge is that access to land in Africa is not equal.
Data shows that between 2010 and 2020 in sub-Saharan Africa, 7.3 million hectares were leased or acquired, and less than 40% was eventually developed.
“Expansion of infrastructure requires land. The land is acquired but people are not compensated because they have no ownership. There is need to check on the cost and see if it benefits people,” she said.
Most large scale investments have low transparency rates during land acquisition stages and the consequences of this lack of transparency trickle down to women. As such, customary rights and land acquisition need attention. There is need for research on whether AfCFTA will weaken or strengthen the customary land rights.
Understanding the impact of the AfCFTA to customary rights and land acquisitions and learning from traditional authorities, including asking key questions such as does the AfCFTA require more land acquisition and whose land will be acquired?
“To harness the full potent of AfCFTA, African countries should ensure that land related investments do not dispossess existing land rights holders and instead promote inclusive and sustainable development,” she said.
Ishima Sanken’I VI, a traditional leader from Zambia said traditional leaders are usually not consulted on land management and governance decisions which has led to rampant land corruption. Traditional leaders, including kings need to be fully involved in decisions on land acquisition matters and use as they are the representative of the owners of the land.
The guidelines for the AfCFTA strategies require the whole of society – youth , SMESs, women and there is an emphasis on government leadership to bring everyone together, said Mr. Karingi. National implementation committees will be critical to the success of the strategies.
“The guidelines have been created which means that within the domestic frameworks, legislation can align. We are not going anywhere unless we go to the grassroots. Investment authorities need to countries to more attention,” added Makong.
If African countries create innovative and good land governance policies that promote equitable access to land, creates an enabling environment for investments, it will unlock the productive potential of the continent.
These are the sentiments echoed by leaders at the opening of the Fifth Conference on Land Policy in Africa (CLPA) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, November 21 – 24, 2023.
Judith Nabakooba, Uganda’s Minister of Lands, Housing and Urban Development said there is a need for Africa to have good land governance policies that strengthen women‘s rights to land to achieve fair and sustainable outcomes for all.
“Uganda understands the relation between land, trade and wellbeing of the people. Effective land governance and management is the cornerstone of sustainable social justice,” said Ms. Nabooka, adding, “Policies formulated should be visional and must integrate climate change issues, reform land justice systems.”
Josefa Sacko, Commissioner for Agriculture, Rural Development, Blue Economy and Sustainable Environment noted that there have been significant strides since the last CLPA in advancing land policies across the African Union Member States.
“Two years ago, we convened to address the challenges impeding sustainable land governance, and I am pleased to report that there has been a noticeable momentum in the implementation of policies aimed at fostering sustainable land administration practices,” said Ms. Sacko.
“One significant area of progress pertains to the advancement of women’s land rights, in alignment with the African Union’s agenda on land. Through targeted policy interventions, legal reforms, and awareness campaigns, we have witnessed tangible progress in elevating the status of women as key stakeholders in land governance.”
She said that commendable efforts have been made in Tanzania, Democratic Republic of Congo, Guinea and Malawi to assess women’s rights to land in policies and laws and take action to address the identified gaps.
She noted that the African Land Policy Centre (ALPC) has started the process of developing the Continental Strategy for integrating gender within national land sectors.
On behalf of the Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Africa, Mr. Claver Gatete, Robert Lisinge, Acting Director of the Private Sector Development and Finance Division said sound land governance systems are essential to facilitating youth, women, communities, and the private sector to engage and benefit from AfCFTA and digitalization.
“If African governments enforce good land governance and policies, it will support agro-industrial parks, infrastructure and renewable energy, all needed ingredients for industrialization and trade,” said Mr. Lisinge.
He noted that inclusive digital technologies can support land and trade policy-making processes through data driven decision making. They can identify opportunities for reform, job creation, climate change mitigation and adaptation, and food needs in Africa.
Kanziemo Leontine, Advisor, Natural Resources Management at the African Development Bank (AfDB), said land governance and regulating access to and use of land, is an enabler of accelerating the implementation of the AfCTA through contributing to the production of goods, unlocking agricultural potential, promoting gender equality, as well as balanced territorial development. Furthermore, Agenda 2063 calls for governments to fully empower women in all spheres, with equal social, political and economic rights, including the rights to own and inherit property, sign contracts, and register and manage businesses.
“The issue of good land governance becomes critical for the achievement of the AfCTA,” she said adding that governments should continue to invest in supporting women farmers.
Hans Lundquist, ambassador of Sweden to Ethiopia and Djibouti, said land is a fundamental resource that provides wellbeing. By improving land governance, we can create a prosperous land security and investment.
CLPA is organized by the tripartite consortium consisting of the African Union Commission (AUC), the African Development Bank (AfDB) and United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA). CLPA takes on the AU theme of the year which, in 2023, is ‘Year of AfCFTA: Acceleration of the African Continental Free Trade Area Implementation.’
The adoption of this year’s CLPA theme is expected to generate greater political commitment and accelerate the effective implementation of the AfCFTA to fully benefit the African citizenry and achieve the aspirations and goals of Agenda 2063.
BY STAFF REPORTER
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD WEDNESDAY 13 DECEMBER 2023
