OFFICIAL OPENING OF THE 2025 CONFERENCE ON LAND POLICY IN AFRICA (CLPA)
Theme:
“Land Governance, Justice and Reparations for Africans and Descendants of the People of the African Diaspora”
Opening Remarks
By
Mr. Claver Gatete
United Nations Under-Secretary-General and
Executive Secretary of ECA
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
10th November 2025
H.E. Hon. Mzwanele Nyhontso, Minister of Land Reform and Rural Development, Republic of South Africa,
Ambassador Amr Aljowaily, Director, Citizens & Diaspora Directorate, African Union Commission,
Ms. Silke Stallkamp, Counsellor for Food and Agriculture, Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany,
Representative of Development Partners,
Distinguished Delegates,
Ladies and Gentlemen:
It is a great honour to welcome you, on behalf of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, to this sixth edition of the Conference on Land Policy in Africa, convened under the compelling theme: “Land Governance, Justice and Reparations for Africans and Descendants of the People of the African Diaspora.”
Today, our meeting is taking place here in the historic Africa Hall, the birthplace of the Organization of African Unity, and a living symbol of our collective journey toward freedom and dignity.
I wish to begin by expressing heartfelt appreciation to our partners – the African Union Commission and the African Development Bank – for their steadfast collaboration with ECA through the African Land Policy Centre (ALPC).
I also thank all stakeholders, researchers and policymakers whose dedication has made this biennial dialogue a platform for advancing evidence-based land governance across our continent.
Excellencies,
Distinguished Delegates,
We convene at a defining moment for our world.
As we speak, the world is navigating converging storms from economic uncertainty to climate upheavals and geopolitical realignments.
Unfortunately, it is Africa, a continent rich in land and resources, that often bears the heaviest burden from rising debt costs, climate-induced displacement and persistent inequalities.
How then can we build a just and prosperous Africa when the roots of historical injustice, that have constrained the continent’s development, remain unresolved?
It is in this context that our theme, which is perfectly aligned with the African Union’s 2025 Theme of the Year on Reparations, Justice and Healing, finds its resonance.
Indeed, land governance, justice and reparations are not debates of the past; they are imperatives for Africa’s renewal and the restoration of fairness in global systems.
Excellencies,
Distinguished Delegates:
More than just geography, land represents sovereignty, identity and security.
It anchors livelihoods, underpins food systems and defines belonging.
Recognizing this, the African Union Commission, the African Development Bank and ECA created the African Land Policy Centre (ALPC) to ensure that Africa’s land and resources serve the people first.
Through the ALPC, we have developed frameworks on women’s land rights, responsible agricultural investment and conflict-sensitive governance.
Furthermore, we have trained institutions and harmonized land data across regions.
However, despite this progress, substantial inequalities remain.
How can a continent so rich in land and resources still leave so many without secure access or equitable benefit?
The answer lies in history.
Centuries of enslavement, colonization and dispossession reshaped our political economy and global position.
The same extractive logic that once seized land now manifests in inequitable trade systems, inflated borrowing costs and credit assessments that undervalue Africa’s potential.
Africa holds 30% of the world’s mineral reserves, 65% of its uncultivated arable land and the youngest population on earth and yet it accounts for only a small fraction of global trade and contributes just about 2% to world manufacturing output.
These disparities are the enduring legacy of structural imbalances that continue to shape Africa’s role in the global economy.
It is not right that they still define who produces, who trades and who benefits.
Reparations, therefore, must go beyond acknowledgment of the past.
They must transform the systems that perpetuate inequality today.
And they must restore balance between resource wealth and shared prosperity.
In this regard, Excellencies, allow me to highlight five recommendations for our collective reflection and action.
First, we must reform the global financial and trading architecture.
As we speak, illicit financial flows drain an estimated US$ 88 billion each year from Africa, while unfair credit ratings inflate borrowing costs and constrain access to long-term capital.
Additionally, the continent receives less than 3% of global climate finance and faces trade terms and global rules that still favour exporters of raw materials over producers of value-added goods.
A just order must include fairer credit assessments, debt-for-development instruments and stronger African financial institutions.
Justice, on this front, will begin when finance becomes fair.
Second, we must strengthen land governance and tenure security, particularly for women, youth and smallholder farmers.
Transparent and inclusive systems are the bedrock of social stability and growth.
Without secure land rights, there can be no food security, no peace and, certainly, no lasting development.
Third, we must leverage the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) to turn resource wealth into regional value chains.
With a combined GDP of approximately US$ 3.4 trillion, the AfCFTA offers a continental market scale that presents the opportunity to refine, manufacture and trade African-made goods.
Why should Africa export raw materials only to import finished products?
But when our land powers our industries, our industries will, in turn, power our people.
Fourth, we must mobilize the African diaspora as co-architects of transformation.
The diaspora is not apart from Africa; it is a vital extension of it.
Its capital, knowledge and advocacy connect Africa to global innovation.
In this regard, we must create structured mechanisms to channel these resources toward Africa’s industrial and digital ambitions.
Fifth, we must invest in technology, climate resilience and youth empowerment.
Digital tools can modernize land administration; climate-smart agriculture can sustain ecosystems; and our youth can drive the green and digital revolutions that define Africa’s future.
It is imperative that innovation serves as a pathway to shared prosperity.
Excellencies,
The Economic Commission for Africa remains unwavering in its support for these priorities.
Together with the African Union, Africa Development Bank and the African Land Policy Centre, ECA continues to help countries strengthen land governance, data systems and regional cooperation.
Our shared mission is to transform the dialogue on reparations into a concrete framework for restoration, resilience and renewal.
And as we meet here in Africa Hall, where Africa’s founders first declared their unity of purpose, let us renew that spirit of conviction and hope.
Together, we can reclaim not only what was lost but also build what must last.
Welcome once again.
And I thank you for your kind attention.