Implementation of AU Assembly Declaration Decl.1(XIII) Rev.1

on Land Issues and Challenges in Africa

Reflections on the relevance of outcomes of the 2014 Inaugural Conference on Land Policy

in Africa

Dr Rashid Mbaziira

Department for Rural Economy and Agriculture (DREA), Commission of the African Union

Overview

• Land issues and Challenges in Africa

• Africa’s Commitments on Land Governance

• The Land Policy Initiative Strategic Plan and Roadmap (2012 – 2016)

• Reflections from the Land Conference in Africa Nov. 2014

• Looking into the future

Low agricultureproductivity/development

Increased food insecurity; low economic development; increased poverty; natural resource degradation

Insecure land/ natural Resource rights and tenure

•Pluralistic property regimes•State sovereignty over land •Displacement •Land allocation

•Centralized structures•Lack of transparency•Inadequate consultation•Low access to info•Corruption•Elite capture /grabs

Unequal land distribution

Insufficientfinancial resources

Inadequate/inappropriate policies/legislation

Poor/inaccessible Land Information Systems (LIS)

Low Investment on land

Poor/insecure access to land/ increased vulnerability

Increased land disputes/insecurity /vulnerability

Poor/ low urbandevelopment

Poor/unsustainablenatural resourcemanagement

Colonial LegacyCultural Practices Poor Governance

Low/Inadequate implementation•High cost/long period to secure rights•unfair land allocations

Poor/unresponsiveland administration Low human

resource capacity

•Discrimination against women•Lack of representation•Communal land ownership•Inalienable aspect land

Problem is

Complex,

Multifaceted

• Genesis Mar 2006: examine land

policy issues in Africa to:

– strengthen land rights

– enhance productivity

– improve livelihoods

• Framework & Guidelines (F&G) on

LP in Africa (2009) outlining role of

land in attaining econ. dev’t & poverty

reduction

– vitality of a coordinated land sector,

land admin systems (rights delivery,

governance structures, institutions); &

sector financing for policy dev’t &

implementation

– highlights a pressing and urgent need

to develop and implement a monitoring

system & mechanisms for land policy

formulation and implementation

Africa’s commitments on Land Governance…

• F&G endorsed by Ministerial

Conference in April 2009 in Addis

• Declaration on Land Issues and

Challenges adopted by the HoSG

of AU at July 2009 Summit in Sirte

– urging effective implementation of F&G

– requesting AUC, ECA, AfDB & RECs to

support Member States’ efforts to

review, develop & implement land

policies incl. mechanisms for tracking &

reporting on progress

• Nairobi Action Plan on Large Scale

Land-based Investments (LSLBI)

adopted 2011: urging the dev’t of

principles to encourage sound and

sustainable investments in land, and guide

fiscal policy

Africa’s commitments on Land Governance…

• Guiding Principles (May 2014): identify fundamentals to enable Member

States optimise benefit from LSLBI thru

taking well informed decisions

• Fundamental Principles

– LSLBI Respect Human Rights of

Communities

– LSLBI are guided by a National

Strategy/Pla for Sustainable Agric. Dev’t

– Decisions on LSLBI are based on Good

Governance Principles

– LSLBI Respect the Land Rights of and

Benefit Women

– Minimising Risks and Maximising

Benefits of LSBI

– Member States uphold high standards of

cooperation, mutual accountability &

M&E

Africa’s commitments on Land Governance…

The Land Policy Initiative Strategic Plan and

Roadmap (2012 – 2016)

• Vision: a peaceful and prosperous Africa

realised thru equitable access, efficient

and sustainable utilisation of land

• Mission: ensure all users have equitable

access to land and security of all land

rights

• Goal: assist AU Member States in the

implementation of the Assembly Decl. on

Land Issues in line with the F&G to achieve

socio-econ dev’t, peace and security, and

env’t sustainability

Results pathway…

Research/

Analysis of

Policy

Options

Policy review

and/or

development

Policy

Implementati

on

Monitoring

and

Evaluation

Identify

of Policy Issue/

Constraint

AUC, ECA, AfDB-LPI, RECs, Govts, Development partners

(Financial, Capacity/Technical Support)

G

o

o

d

L

a

n

d

G

o

v

e

r

n

a

n

c

e

Policy

Dialogue/

Advocacy

Land users

farmers,

pastoralists,

private sector,

FOs, CSOs,

business

associations,

Researchers

Academia.

Research/think

tanks, CSO,

Parliament

Policymakers

Govt

(Legislators,

Parliament,

Executive)

Policy

Implementers

Govt (Executive

Branch,

Judiciary,

Ministries,

agencies

Oversight/

Monitoring

(Parliament,

line

ministries,

CSOs, etc)

Policy Developers Implementers

Partners funding Collaborators

LPI Strategy/Roadmap

RA1: Enhance LPI Capacity to

implement declaration

RA2: Mainstream land in the African

developmental agenda

RA3: Build synergies, coordination,

partnerships & mobilise resource

RA4: Promote communication and

advocacy

RA5: Research and knowledge

generation

RA6: Capacity development

RA7: Knowledge management

RA8: Monitoring and Evaluation

RA 5,7. Research, Knowledge Management and Sharing

Research Products: Women’s

Land rights; Large Scale

Investments; Land

administration; Customary

Land rights; Land, Ethnicity,

conflict; Urban

development; Resilience, climate change

KM Tools: LandObs, VALPAF

(Virtual African Land Policy

and Administration Facility)

• Conference on land Policy in Africa

• Journal (online) on land

policy in Africa

Conference on Land Policy in Africa Nov 11-14 2014…

Land Conference in Africa: Rationale

• Land central to development in Africa

• Need for evidence that backs up to Africa’s land

governance needs

• Growing momentum on land policy research,

development and implementation in region

Much needed is a platform to:

• Present research findings and shape research

activities on land policy in Africa

• Complement existing land policy learning events

by:

• Expanding opportunities for participation by African

practitioners

• Nuancing global discussion to meet the specific needs of

the African land policy community

What

A policy and learning event to promote

evidence based land policymaking and

implementation

Why

To deepen capacity for land policy in

Africa through improved access to

knowledge and information

How

By sharing and generating interest in new

evidence; showcasing emerging and

promising practices and facilitating

networking

Land Conference in Africa: Rationale/2

Specific Objectives

Address strategic land issues in line with

theme of the Conference

Land Conference in Africa: Objectives

The Next Decade of Land Policy in Africa –: Ensuring

Agricultural Development and Inclusive Growth

Governance

frameworks:

experiences

& coherence

at country

level

- VG

- GP

- ELGAF

Inclusive

agricultural

growth

- CAADP

- LSLBI

Land Administration

Youth and land

Women’s

land rights

Addressing

persistent

bottlenecks

Land policy

dev’t and

implementat

ion

–

Experiences

and

emerging

good

practices

Land

administration

Experiences

and

emerging

good

practices

Securing

land rights

under

different

tenure

regimes

Youth, gender, water

Theme and Sub-themes

Specific Objectives

Address strategic land issues in line with

theme of the Conference

Provide space for informed policy dialogue

among stakeholder different groups

Create a platform for shared learning across

a wide range of stakeholders

Raise the profile of and advocate for key

areas of LPI work in land policy

Mobilize resources for key areas of work in

land policy

Land Conference in Africa: Objectives

Anticipated Outcomes

Improved awareness of the F &G and the AU

Declaration on Land

Delivery against components of LPI strategic plan

Land policy issues in Africa highlighted

Strengthened capacity of stakeholders to:

address policy issues related to selected themes

host a world class regional learning event

coordinate associated scientific processes (vetting,

review and approval of abstracts and papers)

Stronger network

Land Conference in Africa: Sought Outcomes

Approach

Conference- Conference plenaries

- Side events

- Panels

- Exhibitions

- Social media

platforms

Outputs

- Conference report

- Conference Proceedings

- Journal

Contributors

• LPI

• Partners

• Scientific

Committee/

Editorial

Committee

Inputs

- Draft papers

- Exhibition,

concepts

- Gray material

• Governments,

• RECs and AU

organs

• Academia

• CSO & women

Land Conference in Africa: Approach

• groups

• UN agencies

• Media

• Pvt sector

• Farmer groups

The Next Decade of Land Policy in Africa –: Ensuring

Agricultural Development and Inclusive Growth

Governance

frameworks:

experiences

& coherence

at country

level

- VG

- GP

- ELGAF

Inclusive

agricultural

growth

- CAADP

- LSLBI

Land Administration

Youth and land

Women’s

land rights

Addressing

persistent

bottlenecks

Land policy

dev’t and

implementat

ion

–

Experiences

and

emerging

good

practices

Land

administration

Experiences

and

emerging

good

practices

Securing

land rights

under

different

tenure

regimes

Youth, gender, water

Theme and Sub-themes

Highlights lessons/outcomes

• A lot has been done over the past ten years to produce frameworks, guidelines, strategies etc -• Impact, though, can only be felt if these are domesticated/implemented at

national level

• High demand to translate into tangible benefits at local level of the undertakings and resolutions of the Assembly Declaration on Land Issues and Challenges• Need for strong political will, commitment and leadership, as well as

empowerment of local communities, women and youth could not be overemphasised

• High availability of info. materials on women's land rights; andland viz industrialisation, urbanisation, water mgmt etc• demonstrating the shared vision of land as a valuable natural resource

endowment a framework and mechanisms for which are required to strengthen rights, enhance productivity & equitably and inclusively improve livelihoods

Way forward

• Advocacy for research

• Capacity development to strengthen role of

universities in analysis, data, M&E

• South-South, North-South partnerships and linkages

• Monitoring outcomes of conference and

institutionalising the event into a biannual platform

for setting a common research and policy

implementation agenda on land issues in Africa

• Evaluating the input of research to land

governance

Input to Land governance – the relevance

Land Issues Desired Outcomes

Securing/Protection of all rights Participatory land policy

processes

Allocation of adequate

budgetary resources

Consultative land policy process

Transparency in land

management

Inclusive land policy process

Improvement in land

administration

Accessibility of land policy

services

Improvement in land access

and distribution

Promoting economic

development

Prioritisation of land issues in

national development planning

Accessibility of land policy

services

Prioritization of land policy

development and

implementation processes

Functioning Land markets

Integration at political level? … the STC on Agric, Rural

Dev’t, Water and Environment

• Composition• Ministers in charge of Agriculture, Rural Development, Water, and

Environment from Member States

• Powers and Functions• i) review, examine and consider adoption of policies and strategic

frameworks designed for the development of African agriculture, the

rural economy, water and the environment;

• ii) follow up and review progress on, and provide strategic

guidance for, the implementation of relevant AU Decisions, policies,

strategies and action plans on agriculture, rural development, water

and environment;

• iii) initiate, develop and promote African common positions on

strategic areas and themes in matters that concern agriculture, rural development, water and environment, and advocate for Africa’s

representation with a united voice in global negotiations;

Into the future: the STC on Agric, Rural Dev’t, Water

and Environment

• Powers and Functions (2)• v) ensure harmonization and coordination of initiatives, policies,

programmes and strategies espoused by various actors at

continental and regional levels in the areas of agriculture, rural development, water and environment; and ensure that overall

political guidance and coordination is provided by the African

Union;

• vi) review and examine strategic partnerships in the areas of agriculture, rural development, water and environment with a view to

ensuring effectiveness of the partnerships and mutual accountability;

• i) carry out any other functions assigned to it by the Executive

Council or the Assembly.