Author: saront
Registration is now OPEN: Africa Land Forum 2020
The Africa Land Forum is a continental event organised annually by the International Land Coalition (ILC) Africa and its partners to reflect on, and recommend solutions to, burning land governance issues and challenges in the continent. It provides a platform for policymakers, community representatives, development practitioners and partners to devise novel ways of making land governance people-centred. ILC draws from its rich and diverse membership and partners to mobilise integrated stakeholders to join the Land Forum.
The 2020 Land Forum is organised in partnership with IGAD’s Land Governance Unit, and the Department of Rural Economy and Agriculture (DREA) of the African Union Commission. This event, taking place at a time when every sector is shaken by the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, offers a golden opportunity to reflect and highlight the pertinent role of land governance in building resilience and protecting Africans from the negative impact of similar pandemics in the future. It also offers an occasion to push the frontiers of thought around the role of land governance in fostering socio-economic development and enabling the attainment of the 2063 aspirations.
Demand Secure Tenure in Informal Settlements
INFORMAL SETTLEMENT growth poses a challenge for inhabitants, planners and local authority officials. Nonetheless, when governments and international development organisations are looking for solutions to problems faced by informal settlement communities, they rarely look at the people in these areas as problem-solvers; informal settlers are considered as beneficiaries, and in some instances a headache.
Which areas should Namibians consider as informal settlements? These are the areas found on the periphery of many towns, comprising 40% of the urban population, according to recent statistics shared by the Shack Dwellers Federation of Namibia (SDFN). Informal settlements’ households have limited individual water connections, limited or no toilets, houses are built out of substandard materials, and owners have no security of tenure for the land.
These are the locations in urban areas that authorities do not recognise as part of the formal built environment. Informality adds to the challenges for occupiers, as many have no physical addresses, and cannot access municipal and/or emergency services, partly due to the lack of roads and other infrastructure.
An additional struggle is that too many people are forced into open-air defecation, which denies residents the right to dignity, and puts women and girls at risks of crime and disease.
In instances when solutions are provided, it is normally using a piecemeal approach, that is usually top-down, as most upgrading is implemented based on what ”the authorities” believe is a priority. Lately, upgrading informal settlements focuses on the installation and improvement of services (water, toilets and housing structures), instead of focusing on tenure security. Although this delivery of services solves some of the problems, it is not a sustainable approach.
Sustainable solutions need to be rooted in secure land tenure for occupants of informal settlements. Development researchers have noted tenure security as an essential element for poverty reduction and the improvement of livelihoods. Hence, it is one of the important goals under the sustainable development goals (SDGs) set by the United Nations General Assembly in 2015, which Namibia has committed to. Important to note is that the majority of people housed in informal settlements have no assurances that they have the rights to develop the land, or occupy it in perpetuity.
The Flexible Land Tenure Act, Act 4 of 2012 brings about a solution. The law aims to create an environment in which communities own land, and can be empowered economically as a result of having secure land rights. Residents will have the option of accessing either starter title or land titles once the Ministry of Land Reform (MLR) starts the implementation.
Research shows that the most land tenure secure residents invest more in their structures, and actively contribute to community development. In Namibia, communities living in informal settlements have been able to improve their level of tenure security by using participatory enumerations. However, security in the form of secure land titles is still lacking.
During the second national land conference last year, the SDFN informed the nation that 40% of the urban population lives in informal settlements. This has clearly shown that the housing challenge is real, and requires urgent solutions. This data presents an opportunity to plan adequately, and provide those people in informal settlements with tenure security through the delivery of development rights for people already occupying land in informal settlements.
There is an understanding that the Namibia Statistics Agency has data on the country’s population, but is it sufficient? Experience shows that in most cases, during the census, populations in informal settlements are underestimated. Hence, the lack or absence of data results in a lack of planning, or the prioritisation of projects for informal settlements.
Since 2009, the SDFN has collected data on its members and other communities in informal settlements, creating a clear picture of what challenges households face, and what solutions are available. The communities are leaders in data-collection: using flexible methods for counting households, mapping available services, and recording the settlement sizes. The data generated and methods used are cost-effective ways to implement databased solutions.
The available data could be a starting point to inform the government on levels of affordability, rates of population growth, and the development priorities of communities. Moreover, development practitioners, in partnership with communities, can design projects using the visualised and analysed data.
For this to have any impact, it requires the involvement of active and progressive individuals from the public and private sector who collaborate with communities in informal settlements. Moreover, projects geared towards improving lives in informal settlements should have tenure security as an entry point for upgrading.
Demographic data on informal settlement households, supported by socio-economic and spatial data, once analysed and visualised, can be one of the tools for stakeholders to use in planning. This, in turn, may contribute to the better implementation of developmental plans, while ensuring that there is transparency and accountability.
The solutions to problems facing informal households do not lie with one ministry, local authority, start-up or NGO. There is a need for a systematic approach that encompasses tenure security for communities in informal settlement communities, using a peoplecentred land use participatory planning process. This is vital in our quest to reduce poverty and implement sustainable solutions in informal settlements.
Equally, important, relevant data on informal settlements is vital in supporting evidencebased decision-making, and ensuring effective policy implementation.
Royal Mabakeng is a junior lecturer in the Land and Property Science Department at the Namibia University of Science and Technology (Nust). She writes in her personal capacity.
The University of Dschang, Cameroon, Express Interest to Join NELGA
The University of Dschang in Cameroon, through its Vice-Rector, Prof. Nyoja Jean has expressed the University’s willingness in future collaborations with the Network of Excellence on Land Governance in Africa (NELGA), especially on research projects as related to IDP’s security and land rights in western Cameroon and the collection of land and topographical data.
Prof. Nyoja expressed this during an advocacy meeting on August 17, 2020, with members of the NELGA team, lead by Prof. Leka Amand and Rosette Mbenda, NELGA Regional Advisor for Central Africa, to explore opportunities with the school administrative authorities for future partnership between the institution and NELGA. NELGA intends to expand its current collaborative partners with universities in Cameroon and used the advocacy visit to showcase the impact of NELGA on land governance academic studies and higher institutions in Africa.
The NELGA project in Central Africa, with Prof. Paul Tchawa as Regional Coordinator, officially launched in January 2019 in Yaounde, Cameroon, with the University of Yaounde I serving as the project’s regional node. The University of Yaounde is the only current partner institution in the country. In 2020, it became imperative to expand the reach of land governance academic opportunities and expertise in the country. This necessitated the advocacy visit to the University of Dschang to involve more public higher education and research institutions.
“It was imperative to showcase the impact of NELGA to academic authorities at the University of Dschang and the opportunities that come with NELGA to tackle land issues and land governance for the region and the continent,” explained Rosette Mbenda, NELGA Regional Advisor at the meeting. “The land crisis is a big problem in the continent, hence the adoption of the African Union Framework and Land Policy Directives in Africa validated by different African heads of state as a lever for sustainable development through which NELGA came to fruition.”
During the advocacy visit, the team met with the Secretary-General of the University, , the Dean of FLSH, , Vice-Dean Faculty of Legal and Political Sciences, , Head of The Department of Philo-socio-psychology, Dean of Faculty of agronomic sciences ( FASA)and others.
According to Rosette Mbenda, “We are currently working on the second phase of the NELGA project in Central Africa. We hope that by partnering with the University of Dschang and expanding the number of higher institutions and research organizations in the region, we can increase our voices and footprint to ensure land governance research work supports appropriate data for policy making and good governance.”
Currently, the member countries of the network in Central Africa are in the current state. In addition to Cameroon are Gabon, Central Africa Republic, Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, and Chad. Actions are considered to integrate Equatorial Guinea into the sheet holder of NELGA Central Africa.
Registration/De Courte Duree: Politique et Gouvernance Foncière à l’Appui de la Transformation Agricole en Afrique
En 2009, les chefs d’État et de gouvernement africains se sont engagés, dans une déclaration sur la terre, à lancer des processus nationaux d’élaboration et de mise en oeuvre de politiques foncières et à garantir un accès équitable à la terre à tous les utilisateurs, y compris les jeunes et les autres groupes sans terre. Ils ont également décidé d’accorder une attention particulière au renforcement de la sécurité d’occupation des terres pour les femmes africaines. Dans cette perspective, tous les États membres de l’UA ont été invités à “revoir leur secteur foncier en vue d’élaborer des politiques globales qui tiennent compte de leurs besoins particuliers” (Déclaration de l’UA sur la terre).
L’amélioration de l’élaboration, de la mise en oeuvre et du suivi des politiques foncières restera une aspiration, à moins que les capacités humaines pertinentes ne soient développées à diérents niveaux. C’est dans ce contexte que la présente formation en ligne est co-organisée par la Commission économique pour l’Afrique (CEA) par l’intermédiaire du Centre africain de politique foncière (ALPC), de l’Institut Africain de Développement Économique et de Planication (IDEP), du Réseau d’Excellence sur la Gouvernance Foncière (NELGA) et de la Commission de l’Union africaine (CUA).
In 2009, African heads of State and Government had through a Declaration on land, committed to initiate national land policy development and implementation processes and ensure equitable access to land for all land users including the youth and other landless groups. They also resolved to give special attention to strengthening security of tenure for African women. In this perspective, all AU member states were urged to “review their land sectors with a view to developing comprehensive policies which take into account their peculiar needs†(AU Declaration on land).
The improvement of land policy development, implementation and monitoring will remain an aspiration, unless relevant human capacities are developed at different levels. It is against such a backdrop that the present online training is co-organized by the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) through African Land Policy Center (ALPC), the African Institute for Economic Development and Planning (IDEP), the Network of Excellence on Land Governance (NELGA) and the African Union Commission (AUC).
PLAAS and NELGA Digital Seminar Series Shares Lessons and Limitations around Women Land Rights in Africa
On Thursday, August 28, 2020, the Institute of Policy, Land and Agrarian Studies (PLAAS) held its NELGA-monthly web seminar on the topic: Legal pluralism and poor implementation hold back women’s land rights in Africa: What can we do?
The online seminar, which had over 80 participants from across Africa and globally, highlighted the essential linkages between women’s rights, formal and customary laws, and land tenures in Africa.
Women have restricted access and rights to land in Africa as laws and legislation at national and local levels are not inclusive. A vital takeaway from the seminar was the importance of building on existing international initiatives like the Kilimanjaro Initiative, national and state-level regulations, laws, and social-economic development interventions for women’s land rights in Africa.
Indigenous mechanisms for accountability are not gender-neutral. Formal laws are hardly implemented in rural locations where customary laws prevail over land tenure and rights. Women end up marginalized and, at times, given single plots that are not favorable or suitable for profitable purposes. Women are also facing double slaughter in their land rights due to increasing pressures from large-scale land-based investment in extractive sectors and agriculture.
There is a need to pay more attention to women’s land rights and their weakness. Unfortunately, the flaw stems from women’s insufficient participation in customary land management. Women need to be empowered with education, information, and fiscal support to be able to meaningfully participate in decision making spaces and support the struggle for women’s rights.
Collective formalization can protect women’s land rights as it promotes inclusive ownership and diversity in land tenure within communities. Land reforms need not come only from statutory laws but also from modifications needed in family and marriage laws as such laws are the primary determinant of land ownership in many communities in Africa.
Panelists included Emmanuel Sulle (Research Associate, PLAAS), Benard Moseti (Oxfam, Pan Africa Programme) and Joséphine Atangana (Programme Officer Plateforme Régionale des Organisations Paysannes d’Afrique Centrale (PROPAC) as they jointly presented the outcomes of the three-year project—Women’s Land Rights for Inclusive Development and Growth in Africa. The project was implemented in seven African countries: Cameroon, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa, and Togo.
You can watch a video of the discussion here. You can also download a snapshot of the online conversation on Twitter here.
Interested in the Women Score Sheet and Training of Trainers Manual for Women Land Rights as presented during the online seminar, click here.
Policy Brief – Strengthening Land Security for Internally Displaced Persons in Cameroon
It is obvious that land issue is one of the most important development topics in Central Africa. Currently, in the face of the development dynamics of countries and various other contemporary challenges, the pressure on land resources is increasing.
In December 2019, NELGA Central Africa and REPAR Cameroon organized a workshop to mobilize and sensitize Parliamentarians on the peculiar challenges faced by Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) on land security. The meeting came out with a working document aimed at supporting a robust Parliament Government Dialogue on IDPs and land security with the expectation of securing better security of land rights.
A key outcome from the workshop was a consensus on the recommendations presented at the meeting and the creation of a policy brief on strengthening land security for IDPs. This policy document is the result of cooperation between NELGA Central Africa, the Central African Universities Network of Excellence on Land Governance and REPAR.
This Policy Brief is structured in four sections: the first aim is to show why it is important to secure the land rights of IDPs; the second analyses the issues and challenges of securing land rights for IDPs; the third summarizes recommendations on which to base the discussion prior to a possible revision of the texts. The last section offers suggestions for Parliamentarians and any other actor wishing to know more about the issue.
Click here to read and download the full brief in French and English. To view other policy briefs on land governance, click here.
Exclusion in planning perpetrates poverty in informal settlements
We should recognise that people in informal settlements have the same right to share the city with the same dignity and equality as other residents. Without the active participation of informal settlement residents in upgrading projects, any upgrading plans proposed are destined to flop. Post the pandemic, we (Namibian planning practitioners, donors and private sector) should look towards the inclusion of people in informal settlements communities in planning and upgrading of the informal settlements.
Some people are of the opinion that speaking about problems or challenges will not bring about change. There is some truth to that line of thought. However, understanding the problem and origins can be of great assistance in identifying solutions that are desired by those affected. While some parts of the world are discussing smart cities, Namibian towns are challenged with providing secure land rights to most of the urban poor. Fortunately, the urban land reform debate finally came to the forefront on the national development agenda, after the focus has been on rural areas for the past 20 years. The focus on urban land reform could influence the emergence of innovative solutions; however, there is a risk of excluding communities affected from actively participating.
The problems faced by the poor and low income who make up 40% of the urban population living in informal settlements are relevant for discussion, mainly as the poor are also important residents of the city as they contribute to vital services of the urban economy. In Namibia, like many developing countries, the poor are found at the periphery of cities, living in uncomfortable conditions with no tenure security and high anxiety caused by possibilities of eviction. Despite their challenging living environment, there is persistent exclusion of the poor in planning for upgrading. When local authorities plan, the informal settlement residents are seldom part of the discussion.
The Urban and Regional Planning Act, 5 of 2018, passed by parliament, is yet to be implemented. The Act has some promising sections for informal settlement upgrading and key among these is the provision for participation and access to land. The Act clearly states that “spatial planning must be aimed at redressing past imbalances in respect of access to land ownership and land allocation. Plus it promotes access to relevant information for the public. However, public participation methods are left to the onus of the relevant minister. This would undoubtedly create bureaucratic challenges that may perpetuate exclusion of informal settlement residents from participating in the upgrading of their communities.
It is vital for leaders in policy implementation to understand that the exclusion of residents in decisionmaking increases insecurity and prevents residents from seeking justice and legal remedy when those in positions of influence violate their rights. Rapid expansion of informal settlements and lack of service delivery in these areas is indicative of poor or no participation of residents affected in the development processes affecting their communities.
There are solutions galore from various case studies on how we can improve informal settlements at scale and at a faster pace, yet implementation becomes a challenge. The introduction and revision of planning laws to reflect the needs of the people is a step to improving land delivery and citizen participation in planning. What remains, as a bottleneck for active participation of residents in informal settlements, is a lack of political will and buy-in from planning specialists.
Lack of participatory planning delays the successful implementation of informal settlement upgrading projects. This creates a blockage to solutions that are sustainable and may lead to high social cost during implementation. The norm in planning is consultants are at the foreground during design, while residents are only consulted during the phase of construction or removal of shacks for roads and services. This may be due to how informal settlement residents are perceived; some planning practitioners see informal settlement residents as land invaders and not as people with the same rights to the city as those in formal areas. The exclusion of residents in the planning for their own settlements perpetuates discrimination and enforces powerlessness faced by the poor.
Participatory planning is not a stress-free process that takes a few months – it is a process that requires incessant community engagement, trust, and relationship building. In this process, it is vital that the possibility of development fatigue and expectation management is tackled by planning teams with residents. Moreover, it is important that those in planning and community members can find a compromise to form partnerships that be a catalyst for sustainable solutions at a low cost.During normal operations, the right to assemble and demonstrate has given residents an opportunity to have their voices heard. However, this should not be the norm. For a population of 2.5 million, understanding the issues of residents at town level should not be a challenge. One major impediment to implementing scalable solutions for informal settlements is the limited availability of dedicated professionals in local authorities dealing with informal settlements. Rather, as important as the role of community development officers are, they are “jack-of-all-trades’’, which can lead to overload. It is important for implementation of upgrading for local authorities to establish dedicated departments on informal settlements upgrading.
Every local authority embarking on the upgrading of informal settlements ought to consider the inhabitants as primary partners, who can share their local knowledge that could affect the speed and cost of projects. For successful project implementation, the residents of informal settlements need to have access to relevant information on how the public process for budgeting, planning and decisions concerning housing provision are made within the government. The time for using facilitators that understand the importance of participation and have patience for communities is now more vital than before. Participatory upgrading is not an easy process at the start; it requires patience, good communication skills and knowledge of the local context.
To empower communities, it is vital that information sharing, and participation is encouraged. This should not only happen during elections, but throughout the whole process of urban policy development. People in informal settlements may be poor due to their economic status; however, many do have a wealth of ideas on how they can improve their communities. Every town planning office should find means to harness this wealth, and participatory planning is the starting point.
Ms. Menare Royal Mabakeng is a junior lecturer in the Land and Property Sciences Department at the Namibia University of Science and Technology (NUST), with a main research interest in fit for purpose land administration. She writes in her personal capacity.
NELGA Central Africa Node Holds Training on Communication for Land Governance
Executive Summary: Covid-19 and African Food Security Digital Seminar
On June 25, 2020, a digital seminar on “Covid-19 and African Food Security” was held by the Network of Excellence on Land Governance in Africa (NELGA) and the Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies (PLAAS), University of the Western Cape (UWC), as the second in a series of seven monthly online seminars.
The onset of the Covid-19 crisis has fast-tracked the continent’s food security challenges. The virtual meeting brought together civil society activists and academics to discuss how the Covid-19 pandemic and the national lockdowns launched in response to it have affected food security in Africa.
With the disruption in food production and constraints in food value chains by several factors, including lockdowns, market closures, border closures, the briefing note below provides insight into these complex food security environments with key recommendations and actions for critical stakeholders.
This briefing note is based on a webinar that aired on Thursday, June 25, 2020, and is available to watch on the PLAAS YouTube channel here.
Youth Engagement for Global Action on Land Rights
Did you know that empowering young people through knowledge and information on land rights can reduce poverty rates and support the development of the African continent?
As the world celebrates the 2020 International Youth Day Edition, we must harness the untapped potentials in our youth as the continent has the largest concentration of young people in the world. It is essential to engage the African youth in knowledge building and encouraging creativity to rapidly transform the continent’s land situations as key for a
The global theme for #IYD2020 calls for Youth Engagement for Global Action; this is the time for African youth to improve their knowledge, advertise for youth-focused research and develop lasting solutions to land governance challenges on the continent. With good land governance and secure land rights, young people can help to stabilize their societies and create more opportuniti