Advancing Land Governance Education in Africa: A Toolkit for Transformative Curricula
On 24 April 2025, NELGA hosted a webinar featuring Dr. Désiré Tchigankong, who presented on the functions of a new toolkit developed by the Network of Excellence on Land Governance in Africa NELGA to support the implementation of the AU Guidelines for the Development of Land Governance Curricula in Africa.
The toolkit aims to bridge persistent capacity gaps across African higher education institutions. Drawing from 26 AU-endorsed curriculum guidelines, it offers a structured, thematic approach to reviewing and designing academic programmes that reflect Africa’s socio-political, environmental, and economic land realities.
Dr. Tchigankong highlighted that many existing land governance curricula are imported and disconnected from the African context. The toolkit addresses this by empowering universities to localize content, build stronger links to policy processes, and ultimately produce graduates better equipped to lead in land policy development and implementation.
Already, over 20 universities have revised or launched new programmes using the guidelines. The toolkit is expected to deepen this momentum by making the adoption process more accessible and practical for institutions.
The webinar emphasized NELGA’s commitment to strengthening education systems as a cornerstone of effective, inclusive land governance across Africa, laying the foundation for a new generation of professionals ready to meet the continent’s land challenges head-on.