This workshop took place from 27 to 29 March 2006. The discussions were informed by an issues/discussion paper. The meeting brought together representatives from African governments, regional economic communities, and civil society including farmers’ organizations, African private sector, centres of excellence and development partners.
Cognizant of the centrality of land policy issues in Africa, a joint initiative was undertaken by the African Union Commission (AUC), United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) and the African Development Bank (AfDB) in 2006, forming the genesis of the Land Policy Initiative (LPI). Through the LPI important actions and measures have been launched including a series of regional studies on land issues across Africa accompanied by rigorous consultations and discussions at regional and continental levels.
The initiative on land policies, aims to assist African states to equip themselves with land policies that can contribute to economic development and poverty reduction as well as peace building. One of the pressing objectives of the initiative is to draft a reference framework and guidelines for land policies in Africa. The land policy framework and guidelines are not meant to impose a uniform land policy on African states, but, on the contrary, to help them develop and implement national land policies that are efficient and effective.
This study attempts to identify the main obstacles to progress and the developments possible. It would therefore be wrong to consider it as a first agricultural plan for Africa, similar to the one called for recently by the Ghanaian Ministry of Agriculture.
The countries in North Africa share an arid and semi-arid environment with high diversity: mountainous areas run alongside maritime areas and desert. Currently, urban dwellers in North Africa represent more than 50% of the population and are expected to be more than 60% by 2030. However, the urban system in North Africa is suffering urban primacy. The region is well known for its endowment in mineral deposits such as oil and gas. However, it is also known for being one of the poorest regions in the world in water resources.
Depuis plusieurs années, on remarque une ruée sur les terres cultivables en Afrique. Ce déferlement peut s’expliquer par diverses raisons, telles que la recherche de nouvelles rentabilités à la suite de la crise financière actuelle, l’accroissement de l’investissement agricole pour assurer la sécurité alimentaire, l’encouragement de l’agrocarburant, etc. Toutefois, le phénomène n’est pas sans conséquence sur le bien-être des paysans locaux. Ces derniers, généralement réunis autour de sociétés coopératives, peuvent défendre leurs intérêts à travers diverses formes d’actions.
The African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) is a mutually agreed instrument established in 2003 by the African Union in the framework of the implementation of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD). The objective of the APRM is to foster the adoption of policies, standards and practices that lead to political stability, high economic growth, sustainable development and accelerated regional and continental integration.
Through our robust search engine, you can search for any item of the over 64,800 highly curated resources in the Land Library.
If you would like to find an overview of what is possible, feel free to peruse the Search Guide.
