A little over ten years ago, leaders of African nations came together under the auspices of the African Union (AU) to adopt the “Declaration on Land Issues and Challenges” in Africa
STUDY ON LAND POLICY IN AFRICA
Along with the Declaration, a number of other important policy instruments and guidelines, including the Framework and Guidelines on Land policy in Africa (F&G) were adopted - collectively these form the AU Agenda on Land. The Land Policy Initiative (LPI), now the African Land Policy Centre (ALPC), was established to carry forward this agenda and involved a range of stakeholders, including national governments, Regional Economic Communities and non-government organisations. The LPI and its partners also supported the organisation of various platforms to facilitate particular stakeholder involvement, including the African Civil Society Organisation (CSO) Platform on Land.
This assessment study on land policy in Africa was initiated by the Civil Society (CSO) Platform to learn lessons from the implementation process of AU Agenda on land and stimulate discussion on the way forward to further improve land rights and land governance in Africa as a basis for equitable progress and prosperity. As the CSO Platform and partners who supported the implementation process of AU Agenda on Land, we see this as a contribution to taking forward this Agenda, including the commitment to monitor and assess its effective implementation. It is also a continuation of the inclusive approach that has been part of the spirit of the development of the AU Agenda on Land from the beginning.
What this report clearly shows is that there has been progress in improving land policies and governance across the continent. The AU Agenda on Land and the initiatives put in place to support it have contributed to this progress. Unsurprisingly there is still more to do. There remains work that has been started that we still need to pursue, especially on women’s land rights, and on monitoring and evaluation of land policy. There are also new challenges and opportunities that have emerged, for example in urbanisation and new digital technology, that require new responses. We believe this report can assist to inform this essential work going forward.