Land Policy workshop opens in “the land of a thousand hills”.

16 January 2008 (ECA) - The Regional Consultative Workshop on Land Policy in East Africa opened in Kigali, Rwanda on Wednesday 16 January. In opening the three-day workshop, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Land, Environment, Forestry, Water and Mines of the Republic of Rwanda, Dr. Emmanuel Nsanzumuganwa; welcomed participants to the “Land of a Thousand Hills,” and said some progress had already been made in reforming and harmonising land laws and practices. He informed participants that Rwanda established a new national land policy in 2004 with the major objective of guaranteeing security of tenure and promoting investments in agriculture, the development of rural and urban habitats, and a reduction in land disputes. He said the policy was being implemented in a participatory manner through a national programme for land tenure systems.

However, Dr. Nsanzumuganwa also cautioned that serious challenges remained in Rwanda, including high population growth and the high dependence on agriculture for rural livelihoods. He added that the current reforms give hope that the social economic well-being of Rwandans will improve. He concluded that Rwanda will always be available to share its experiences with, and learn lessons from other African countries, in order to arrive at a consensus on land issues on the continent.

Also speaking at the opening ceremony, the director of the Economic Commission for Africa's (ECA) food security and sustainable development division, Josue Dione, stated that: “The majority of conflicts in Africa, and indeed around the world, are related to failures in systems related to the governance, control and use of land and natural resources.” He said that in order for Africa to fully address land issues, the pluralistic systems of land tenure, whether traditional or legislative, must be properly managed. The workshop should therefore provide guidance to governments on legal and institutional mechanisms of ensuring an effective coexistence of formal and customary systems of land tenure.

Representing the African Union (AU) Commission, the director for rural economy and agriculture, Dr. Ahmadu Babagana, noted the centrality of land in the socio-economic development of Africa, and said the workshop would seek to reach consensus on regional specificities and initiatives that should be included in the continental framework on land policies; the institutional and resource gaps from on-going land initiatives in the eastern African region; and key elements necessary for the development of benchmarks and indicators for assessing the performance of land processes.

Speaking on behalf of the African Development Bank (AfDB), director of operations, policies and compliance department, Mr, Philibert Afrika, stated that many African countries are moving towards reforming land policies, but that in many cases, this was being done without substantive guidance from experience. “The importance of a comprehensive land policy framework to which individual countries can benchmark their land policies therefore cannot be overemphasised.” He added that the AfDB recognizes the need to finance more effective land-related operations, and are in the process of developing a land policy to guide its operations.

Representing the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), Mr. Harold Liversage stated that the main challenges currently facing land policy in Africa are to translate some of the new policy guidelines that are emerging into practical results on the ground, and the need to balance the needs for social justice and economic growth. He commended the ECA/AU/AfDB initiative as an important development in this regard.

Background:

The Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), the African Union (AU) and the African Development Bank (AfDB) are jointly working on a Land Policy Initiative to support efforts being made by African governments in the formulation and implementation of land policy and institutional reforms. The Initiative recognises the central role of multi-stakeholder consultations aimed at gaining consensus on the key elements that should constitute the framework, guidelines, benchmark and indicators for land policy and institutional reforms. The critical steps in the roadmap include: a) A continental consultative workshop; b) An Expert Group Meeting on Benchmarks and Indicators; c) Regional assessments and consultations; d) A continental Meeting of African experts and African Ministers responsible for land; and f) AU Heads of State and Government Summit.