United Nations Economic Commission for Africa - CLPA 2019

Dealing with land conflicts and improving land governance for peace and stability in Africa at the heart of a high-level dialogue in Abidjan

eskinder.tsegaye — Tue, 03 Dec 2019 13:09:54 +0000

Abidjan (Côte d’Ivoire), November 29, 2019 - Friday in Abidjan, the conference on land policy in Africa, a high-level dialogue on ethnicity and land conflicts were held. As part of the 3^rd edition of the Conference on Land Policy in Africa, a high-level dialogue on ethnicity and land conflicts was organized this Friday, in Abidjan.

This session was held against the background of intensified land conflicts and natural resources under the pressure of climate change, population growth, food security, migration and rapid urbanization in Africa.

The objective of this high-level dialogue is to advocate and raise awareness on the different aspects of the link between land, ethnicity and conflicts and on the importance of inclusive land governance for peace and stability in Africa.

Mr. Bamba Cheik Daniel, Director General of the Rural Land Agency (AFOR) of Côte d’Ivoire, " As long as there is land conflict, there will be neither peace nor agro-industry. This will create a development problem.

In order to solve the land issues in Africa, says Bamba, "it will take a good mix between administration and traditional chieftaincy."

Mr. Samuel Nguifa, who offers Traditional Chiefs to regain their seats in the resolution of land conflicts, was even echoed by the Secretary General of the Center for Environment and Development in Cameroon. "It is necessary to strengthen the traditional system of resolution of land conflicts and link both, administration and traditional chieftaincy", says Mr. Samuel Nguifa.

For his part, His Royal Highness ADEDAPO of Nigeria believes that "to resolve land conflicts, it must be referred to traditional bodies because we are closer to the people."

"We cannot solve land conflicts without traditional institutions and women are the best able to do," concludes His Royal Highness ADEDAPO.

"If we do not solve the problem of land in Africa, we will not have solutions to conflict issues", said UN-Habitat Coordinator for urban legislation, Mr. Oumar Sylla.

For that, he proposes that the question of land is taken into account in all the programming of the institutions. "We have to make sure that land is taken care of when it comes to issues of peace agreement," said Oumar Sylla.

Issued by:

Communications Section
Economic Commission for Africa
PO Box 3001
Addis Ababa
Ethiopia
Tel: +251 11 551 5826
E-mail: eca-info@un.org

Land conference ends with call for actions to help root corruption out of sector

eskinder.tsegaye — Sat, 30 Nov 2019 03:16:44 +0000

Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire, November 29, 2019 (ECA) – The 2019 Conference on Land Policy in Africa ended in Abidjan Friday with academic institutions pledging to work with traditional leaders in coming up with solutions to land governance challenges on the continent in an effort to root corruption out of the land sector.

Stakeholders attending the five-day conference made various calls at the end of the meeting but perhaps the most profound one was by the continent’s traditional leaders who made a commitment to review cultural practices and beliefs that have long denied women access to land.

“Culture is dynamic and changes. We commit to gender and to use inclusive decision making processes,” said His Royal Highness Drani Stephen Izakare of Uganda, adding there was an urgent need for Africa’s judicial systems to formalize the role of traditional leaders in land management and dispute resolution mechanisms.

The traditional leaders also committed to fighting corruption within the ranks of their traditional institutions; and called for the creation of more synergies and closer collaboration with government and land administration institutions to ensure land administration services do not provide opportunities for corruption

They agreed that land administration institutions on the continent should be strengthened to improve competencies.

Participants called on governments to put in place policies were none exist, and to review existing ones so they can be in tandem with experiences on the ground and current realities.

Governments were also called upon to ensure that policies and laws take into account the interests of the youth and women and other marginalized groups; encourage climate-friendly and sustainable land use, and to put in place mechanisms for the management of cross-border resources.

Academia pledged to review curricula to be aligned with the African Union guidelines in terms of knowledge enhancement in the land sector; develop short courses, workshop, seminars and meetings to address issues related to corruption in the land sector, among others.

Civil society organizations said they will work together with other partners to do various actions on the ground, including advocating for the development and implementation of comprehensive policies and systems that minimize and or eliminate corruption in the land sector in Africa.

The CSOs in their call of action said they will continue to serve as watchdogs, enhancing transparency and accountability through profiling of corruption cases and documenting the impact of corruption to lives and livelihoods of women and men.

In closing remarks to the conference, Cote d’Ivoire’s Agriculture and Rural Minister, Kouassi Kobenan Adjoumani, thanked the African Development Bank (AfDB), African Union Commission (AUC) and the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) for organizing the conference and taking the lead in implementing the AU’s agenda on land.

“I would also like to urge all African countries to maintain the solidarity required to implement land policies that can help us as a continent to achieve the sustainable development goals for our people,” he said.

For her part, the AUC’s Ambassador Josefa Sacko, Commissioner for Rural Economy and Agriculture, urged AU member States to work towards ensuring access to land and security of land tenure for all.

Let us not leave anyone behind, she said, adding although land tenure regimes differed from country to country, ‘we can build on our commonalities and synergize our collective efforts to make a difference for the many women and men whose lives are dependent on land’.

“Let us go back to our legislative as well as government representatives and influence change that will create sustainable and responsive land governance systems,” the Commissioner said.

Cosmas Milton Obote Ochieng, the Africa Natural Resource Centre Director at the AfDB, said the conference had highlighted many opportunities and challenges that exist in Africa’s land governance and management sector.

Sound land governance in Africa, he said, is unlikely to succeed without the leadership and support of the traditional leaders.

“We look forward to concrete action following this conference,” said Mr. Obote as he called on governments, traditional leaders and other stakeholders to work together in efforts to finding ways to root corruption out of the land sector which he said was central to the continent’s sustainable socio-economic development.

The biennial conference was held under the theme; Winning the fight against corruption in the land sector: Sustainable pathways for Africa’s transformation.

Issued by:

Communications Section
Economic Commission for Africa
PO Box 3001
Addis Ababa
Ethiopia
Tel: +251 11 551 5826
E-mail: eca-info@un.org

Land policy in Africa: Expert panel calls for "fair, efficient land management"

eskinder.tsegaye — Thu, 28 Nov 2019 20:14:37 +0000

Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, 27 November 2019 - Experts attending this year’s conference on Land Policy in African have called for fair and efficient land management to support moves to transform the continent.

The third edition of the conference on Land Policy in Africa, currently underway in the Ivorian capital, Abidjan is co-organized by the African Union, the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa and the African Development Bank.

Each speaker shared their thoughts on the challenges facing the land sector and shared knowledge on the fair and efficient management of the natural resource in African states. The panel comprised Angela Thoozile Didiza, South African Minister of Agriculture and Agrarian Reform; Michael Lipton, Professor of Economics at the University of Sussex; Bitange Ndemo, Professor at the University of Nairobi; and Ali Mufurui, founder and CEO of Infotech Investment Group.

Angela Didiza said: "It is simply essential that women have access to land. Clear policies must be put in place to ensure implementation of recommendations for land management." In his remarks, Professor Lipton called for “a democratic approach” to avoid arbitrariness in land management and also protect the interests of landowners.

Bitange Ndemo underscored the need to adopt appropriate technology choices for efficient land management. “We cannot make small farms productive. That is why we need to find ways of turning them into large farms. We must decentralize the land-management system and clearly define what we need over the next ten years; that is the right way to improve the system."

Ali Mufurui said, "We have aggravated the system by issuing land titles. Giving someone a piece of land with a land title is not the way to solve the problem; the real issue is what use it is put to. Land has a lifespan and we need to work on using it well to provide the maximum benefit to the entire community. The most urgent need now is to rethink this way of managing the land issue."

The key theme for this year’s dialogue is: "Winning the Fight against Corruption in the Land Sector: Sustainable Pathway for Africa's Transformation".

Ali Mufuruki: Optimization and innovative use of land crucial for Africa’s economic transformation

Minilik.Demissie — Wed, 27 Nov 2019 05:20:35 +0000

Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, November 26, 2019 (ECA) – Africa needs to rethink how it uses its land resources to ensure there is optimization and innovative use which will help spur the economic transformation of the continent, says Ali Mufuruki, Chairman and CEO of Infotech Investment Group LTD of Tanzania.

Speaking at the 2019 Conference on Land Policy in Africa, Mr. Mufuruki said, a more positive future for Africa’s people hinged on how its leaders are able to concentrate on things that really matter, in particular focusing on job-creating investments.

Land, he said, was critical to economic growth, food security, and poverty alleviation across the continent but titling was not as important as was being advocated for by many in the land sector.

“I feel that far too much has been invested in trying to correct historical wrongs and dislocations that occurred because of violence, climate, and accidents over the year. In our efforts for restitution we seem to have thought that the solution to our problems is parcelling out land to individuals because naturally human beings like to accumulate, and the bigger the better,” said Mr. Mufuruki.

He said not everyone was interested in farming, adding the continent’s abundant land resources could be used optimally for other income generating investments in tourism and mining for example.

“Subdividing land to a billion people may not be useful as not everyone who wants land has the ability to turn it around economically. Some people just need housing. With the new distributive elite within our countries, land has become nothing more than just an instrument of political and social control,” said Mr. Mufuruki.

He said Africa has overlooked that there is more to land ‘than having a piece of paper saying you own the land’.

“In Germany for example, land is a source of tremendous wealth for society, not just individuals as we see in Africa. That is why in Europe if you use land in a way that harms others, people have the right to sue you,” the Tanzanian businessman said.

He said it was sad that Africa with 60 percent of the world’s unused land was the hungriest.

“How can we be land rich and still be poor. Are we looking at the wrong things - is land distracting us from addressing the real issues,” he asked, adding the problem of land corruption would not be solved by giving land titles to the people only.

As per the Framework and Guidelines on land policy in Africa endorsed by member states in 2009, the African Land Policy Centre advocates for documenting all bundles of land rights on land parcels to secure the rights of those that have a claim on the land. These rights include ownership, land resources shelter, etc. The documentation of land rights emphasis extends to communal lands and goes a long way towards tackling the rights of women’s access to land.

Issued by:

Communications Section
Economic Commission for Africa
PO Box 3001
Addis Ababa
Ethiopia
Tel: +251 11 551 5826
E-mail: eca-info@un.org

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With better land governance, Africa can stop spending $35 billion annually on food importations

eskinder.tsegaye — Tue, 26 Nov 2019 18:22:06 +0000

Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire, November 26, 2019 (ECA) – As a rich continent with vast agricultural and land resources, Africa should be able to feed all her people without any problems, Benjamin Laag, Counsellor for Economic Cooperation at the Germany Embassy in Abidjan, said in remarks at the ongoing 2019 Conference on Land Policy in Africa (CLPA2019).

Laag said due to technological improvements in agriculture, as well as in geospatial sciences and other relevant land sectors, the tools were available to implement policies to ensure fair and sustainable land policies are enacted and implemented in every country on the continent.

“Almost every person on the continent has been affected by corruption and very often the distribution and registration of agricultural and urban land is the reason for it,” he said.

He emphasized the importance of good land governance as well as effective land administration and sustainable land management for the African continent which spends over US$35 billion annually importing food from the West.

He indicated that the German government has supported Africa’s efforts to address land corruption in its bilateral and global programs on land and has also supported transparency initiatives such as the Land Matrix and Land Portal, as well as financing Transparency International’s program on Land and Corruption in Africa.

“Data and research on the linkages between land and corruption is now available and I am personally looking forward to hearing from participants presenting their findings,” said Laag.

“Addressing land corruption is an important but sensitive topic and this conference has the courage to talk about it,” he added.

“We need African solutions to African challenges. And in this regard, Germany appreciates the huge effort that the AU is making through the African Land Policy Center and other AU institutions, to promote and implement the AU agenda on land,” he said.

The conference is being attended by land experts and officials, representatives of civil society, traditional leaders, UN agencies and related organizations.

Issued by:

Communications Section
Economic Commission for Africa
PO Box 3001
Addis Ababa
Ethiopia
Tel: +251 11 551 5826
E-mail: eca-info@un.org

Follow the Conversation on twitter: #CLPA2019

2019 Conference on Land Policy in Africa: Technology and innovation will help speed up removal of land sector corruption in Africa - African Development Bank

eskinder.tsegaye — Tue, 26 Nov 2019 08:24:23 +0000

Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire, 25 November 2019 – African countries must act faster to purge corruption in the land sector by harnessing technology and innovation, African Development Bank Senior Vice President Charles Boamah urged on Monday.Boamah, who was speaking to policymakers and stakeholders at a conference on Land Policy in Africa in the Ivorian capital, also called for the deployment of more financial and human resources to land policy development, “especially in rural areas and among the most vulnerable.” The biennial conference, organized by the Land Policy Centre, provides a central platform for African stakeholders to network and deepen their commitment to land policy development, implementation and monitoring, through access to knowledge and evidence-based policymaking.

This year’s dialogue, hosted by the African Development Bank, is on the theme: “Winning the Fight against corruption in the Land sector: Sustainable pathways for Africa’s transformation”.

According to Transparency International, globally, one in five persons has paid a bribe for a land service. In Africa, every second, a client of a land administration service has paid a bribe.“This corruption takes many forms — bribery or illicit land transactions is just one example. Land developers and speculators specifically target countries with weak governance systems. Local powerful elites are also more likely to manipulate such systems to serve narrow ends not to benefit the public,” Boamah noted.

The African Development Bank is committed to working with its partners to improve governance in land administration as part of efforts to boost agriculture production. Two of its key initiatives- the Transformation of African Agricultural Technologies ( TAAT), and Connect Africa, have demonstrated innovation in this area.

Agriculture remains the backbone of many African economies. But sound land policy and administration are needed to bring it in line with 21st-century practice, Boamah said.

The TAAT program has worked with 30 seed companies to produce 27,000 metric tonnes of drought-resistant maize seeds. By the end of 2018, more than 1.6 million farmers had planted these seeds.

TheConnect Africa initiative — a $55 billion global partnership to bridge major gaps in ICT infrastructure across the continent — is allowing farmers to use digital technology to access prices and services like mobile banking.

Ivorian Justice Minister Sansan Kambile called on African states to prioritise land tenure security as a development objective.

“Without land tenure security, and the various implications, no development can be sustainable. It is a collective responsibility which we must pursue to leave a worthy legacy for future generations” he said.

Kambile said the Ivorian government is keen to see workable outcomes from the Abidjan meetings for adoption into its land administration system.

In her welcome remarks, Sacko Correia, Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Economy at the African Union Commission, noted that corruption in the land sector has undermined cohesiveness and led to conflicts on the continent.

“For us to win the fight against corruption, we must ensure that land is equitably distributed and accessed by all, most especially by women, youth and other vulnerable groups,” she said, noting that although women contribute significantly to agriculture production in Africa, they enjoy less rights to land.

She called on African governments to ensure that land management processes are transparent, accountable, efficient and responsive to the new challenges of climate change, natural disasters and environmental degradation.

Stephen Karingi, Director, Private Sector Development and Finance, United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, said an effective land governance will help reduce cost of doing business in Africa and help contribute immensely to the African Union’s Agenda 2063 master plan for transforming Africa into the global powerhouse of the future.

This year’s theme is aligned to the African Union’s declaration of 2018 as Africa’s Anti-Corruption Year. The continental body identifies corruption as a key factor hampering efforts to promote governance, socio-economic transformation, peace and security.

The conference will run from 25^th to 29^th November.

Contact: Kwasi Kpodo, Communication and External Relations Department, African Development Bank. Email: w.kpodo@afdb.org

Fighting corruption in the land sector must be underpinned by effective land governance

eskinder.tsegaye — Tue, 26 Nov 2019 08:04:06 +0000

Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire, November 25, 2019 (ECA) - The 2019 Conference on Land Policy in Africa opened Monday, with resounding calls for effective land governance as critical to fighting corruption achieving Africa’s continental vision elaborated in Agenda 2063. The theme of the third biannual conference has as its central focus, “Winning the fight against Corruption in the Land Sector: Sustainable Pathway for Africa’s Transformation”.

In remarks to the 2019 Conference on Land Policy in Africa (CLPA2019), Stephen Karingi, Director of the Regional Integration, Infrastructure and Trade Division at the Economic Commission for Africa said, “Success in achieving the sustainable development goals is underpinned by good land governance, as it contributes to eliminating poverty and hunger; promoting sustainable agriculture; advancing gender equality and women empowerment; and promoting inclusive economic growth; among other development objectives.”

He however, underlined that legal uncertainty not only undermined business confidence, but could foster corruption. He also stressed that undeveloped systems with complex and unclear administrative processes contribute to the lack of transparency and accountability in the administration of land.

These conditions, said Karingi, increase the likelihood of corruption. In the land sector, it has far-reaching implications for Africa’s development.

For her part, Ambassador Josefa Sacko, the African Union Commission’s Commissioner for Rural Economy and Agriculture said, “For us to win the fight against corruption we need to ensure that land is equitably distributed and accessed by all, more especially women, youths and other vulnerable groups. Women continue to contribute significantly towards agricultural production in Africa but in some circumstances are not able to enjoy their rights to land. It is therefore a reality that women and men still do not enjoy the same rights over land.”

“As a factor of production most livelihoods and developmental activities are undertaken on land; we need to ensure that the way in which land is distributed and used plays an essential role in promoting sustainable development and achieving peace and stability on the continent,” she said.

The African Development Bank’s Senior Vice President, Charles Boamah, for his part, said sound land policy was critical to economic growth, food security, and poverty alleviation across the continent.

“It can catalyse growth in agricultural productivity through tenure security and protection of land rights, which can in turn enhance investment opportunities in land,” he said, adding land administration systems in many countries on the continent were characterised by poor infrastructure and management practices largely because of corruption.

“Corruption is truly costly in every sense of the word. And it hits the poorest the hardest, particularly women and as a result, we perpetuate income and gender inequality.”

The Conference is hosted by the African Development Bank in collaboration with the African Union Commission and the Economic Commission for Africa. Attending are hundreds of government officials, traditional leaders, land experts, academics, representatives from civil society, UN agencies and partner organisations.

Issued by:

Communications Section
Economic Commission for Africa
PO Box 3001
Addis Ababa
Ethiopia
Tel: +251 11 551 5826
E-mail: eca-info@un.org

CLPA2019: Effective land governance critical to Africa’s development

eskinder.tsegaye — Mon, 25 Nov 2019 18:18:06 +0000

Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire, November 25, 2019 (ECA) - Effective land governance is critical to achieving Africa’s development, particularly the continent’s 50-year development plan, Agenda 2063, says Economic Commission for Africa’s Stephen Karingi.

In remarks to the 2019 Conference on Land Policy in Africa (CLPA2019) that opened in Abidjan Monday, Mr. Karingi, Director of the ECA’s Regional Integration and Trade Division, said land was the foundational asset upon which economies were built, adding property rights were essential for creating a conducive environment for attracting private sector investment on the continent.

“Globally, success in achieving the sustainable development goals is underpinned by good land governance, as it contributes to eliminating poverty and hunger; promoting sustainable agriculture; advancing gender equality and women empowerment; and promoting inclusive economic growth; among other development objectives,” he said.

Mr. Karingi said environments of legal uncertainty not only undermined business confidence, but could foster corruption.

“Undeveloped systems with complex and unclear administrative processes contribute to lack of transparency and accountability in the administration of land. These conditions increase the likelihood of corruption. Corruption in the land sector has far-reaching implications for Africa’s development,” he added.

Winning the fight against corruption in the land sector: Sustainable pathways for Africa’s transformation, is the theme of the biennial conference. Mr. Karingi said the theme was timely, especially as Africa seeks to transform her economies.

“Effective land governance and management is also indispensable to efforts to promote inclusive and sustainable socioeconomic development in support of Africa’s structural transformation. Secure land rights for women can also increase women’s ability to enter into agricultural contracts in win-win land based investment models,” he said.

For her part Ambassador Josefa Sacko, the African Union Commission’s Commissioner for Rural Economy and Agriculture, said good land governance was essential for Africa’s development.

“Land in Africa is an important factor of production as most livelihoods and developmental activities are undertaken on land. With this in mind, we need to ensure that the way in which land is distributed and used plays an essential role in promoting sustainable development and achieving peace and stability on the continent,” she said.

Corruption in the land sector, the Commissioner said, can inhibit the ability for people to access and own land which in turn marginalizes some sectors of society thereby undermining their livelihoods and perpetuating conflicts, hunger and poverty.

“For us to win the fight against corruption we need to ensure that land is equitably distributed and accessed by all, more especially women, youths and other vulnerable groups. Women continue to contribute significantly towards agricultural production in Africa but in some circumstances are not able to enjoy their rights to land. It is therefore a reality that women and men still do not enjoy the same rights over land,” she added.

“Corruption is truly costly in every sense of the word. And it hits the poorest the hardest, particularly women and as a result, we perpetuate income and gender inequality.”

The conference is being attended by over 700 land experts and officials, representatives of civil society, UN agencies and related organisations.

Issued by:

Communications Section
Economic Commission for Africa
PO Box 3001
Addis Ababa
Ethiopia
Tel: +251 11 551 5826
E-mail: eca-info@un.org

ECA, AUC and AfDB launch the agriculture and food security joint thematic working group in Abidjan

eskinder.tsegaye — Mon, 25 Nov 2019 18:02:09 +0000

Abidjan (Cote d’Ivoire), November 25, 2019 – The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), the African Union Commission (AUC) and the African Development Bank (AfDB), under the auspices of the Joint Secretariat Support Office (JSSO), the agriculture and food security joint Thematic Working Group (TWG) on the margins of the Conference on Land Policy in Africa holding in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire.

The purpose of this initiative is to enhance the strategic partnership to accelerate Africa’s transformation and will serve as a platform for information and knowledge sharing.

The Thematic Working Group for agriculture and food security will focus its work mainly on supporting African countries and regional economic commissions (RECs) to rollout the common Africa Agro-Parks (CAAPS) and Staple Agro-industrial processing zones (SAPZs) initiatives.

Josefa Leonel Correia Sacko, Commissioner for Rural Economy and Agriculture at the African Union Commission said: “By 2025, if we can have 70% of ending the hunger on the continent, it will be a great thing”, and added that joint thematic working group that is bringing together ECA, AfDB and AU” is the best way forward to really achieve our objectives.”

For his part, Stephen Karingi, Director, Regional Integration Division at ECA, lauded the initiative and linked to the focus area on the African Continental Free Trade Area noting, "We can’t have a successful AfCFTA without agriculture and food security”.

The thematic working group will focus on areas

Coordination of seed systems development
Special Agro-Industrial processing zones and Common African Agro-Parks
Food Safety laboratories and Food Safety Agency
Access to Agricultural mechanization services for Women
African Land Policy Reform.

For more information, please contact: Tahirou Gouro, Communication Officer, ECA-SRO/WA,

Email: gouro2@un.org

Sub-Regional Office for West Africa

428 Avenue du Fleuve Niger

B.P. 744, Niamey, Niger

All set for the 2019 Conference on Land Policy in Africa

eskinder.tsegaye — Fri, 22 Nov 2019 09:39:55 +0000

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Corruption under spotlight at Africa land policy conference opening Monday in Abidjan

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