Ministers, policymakers, senior government officials, and civil society organizations lay out national pathways to address obstacles and opportunities before national land institutions in the implementation of reforms
October 12, 2021, LOME – More than 15 countries have come together over the course of three-days to assess progress on collective land rights reforms in Africa, and debate strategies to advance them at the African Land Institutions Network for Community Rights (ALIN) Conference 2021.
Convened in the Togolese capital, Lomé, over 100 in-person delegates and other virtual participants chart potential changes for more sustainable, equitable, resilient and secure community lands in view of improving the lives of millions of farmers and pastoralists.
The process will culminate in a better management of land-based intra-community conflict, and conflict between foreign investors and communities.
To inspire national delegates for the day’s work, the Togolese Minister for Urban Settlement, Housing and Land Reform H.E. Koffi Tsolenyanu stressed that advancing community land is indispensable in the emerging global coalitions and would champion further progress.
“The writer Mike Hallan cries, Ma terre, ma vie en devenir (My land, my life in becoming) because land is at the center of everything we can ever do to shape our lives,” H.E. Tsolenyanu said during his opening remarks. “That’s why Agenda 2063 of the African Union declares that land governance should constitute the driving force for the continent’s development.”
Effective land institutions and monitored frameworks are necessary for such tenure progress. “Creating a cadre for constant consultation in view of learning and sharing is why we are holding ALIN Conference.”
Togo has made recent commendable progress in securing community land rights. Referring to the power of multi-stakeholder platforms in such process, ILC Regional Coordinator Audace Kubwimana called Togo’s approach “a prime example of how joint political action can lead to broader results on the ground.”
Learning from what has been done in Togo was reechoed by Rights and Resources Initiative’s Coordinator Solange Bandiaky.
“Togo is a country that is cited as an example of successful land reform in Africa because the 2018 law on the Land and Property Code of Togo recognises customary community rights in its articles 6 and 628,” said Bandiaky, who is also President of Rights and Resources Group.
ALIN Conference was held in 2017 in Accra and in 2019 in Antananarivo. The 2021 edition will assess progress since delegates’ last meeting in Antananarivo, discuss strategies to expand community land rights today, and reflect on the roles and functions of – and collaboration among – land institutions.
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About the African Land Institutions Network for Community Rights
The African Land Institutions Network for Community Rights (ALIN) is a platform for continued experience and knowledge sharing on advancing community land rights. It serves as a community of practice through which members reinforce their capacities, foster dialogue, and promote information dissemination. The Network provides an accountability mechanism to measure progress.
