Author: walelign5wk
Call for Expression of Interest on
Writing and presenting a Policy-Brief on: “Climate Change, Pastoralism and Agro-Pastoral Conflicts in Africa”
Deadline to Apply: 30 June 2025
Are you working at the intersection of climate change, pastoralism, and conflict in Africa? Network of Excellence on Land Governance in Africa (NELGA) and the Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies (PLAAS) invite expressions of interest for writing and presenting a policy brief on “Climate Change, Pastoralism, and Agro-Pastoral Conflicts in Africa.”
Selected policy briefs will be presented during a Master Class at the Land, Life and Society Conference, hosted by PLAAS from 7–9 October 2025 in the Western Cape, South Africa.
This opportunity targets researchers, policy actors, CSOs, and media with proven engagement in land governance and links to the Network of Excellence on Land Governance in Africa (NELGA).
Applicants must submit a policy brief abstract aligned with one of the following themes:
- Marginalisation, vulnerability, and extremist violence in pastoralist areas
- Climate change, ethnicity, and communal conflict
- Resource scarcity, mobility, and farmer-herder tensions
Selected participants will receive a virtual training on policy brief writing on 27 August 2025, ahead of the in-person Master Class.
Applications must include the abstract (in English or French), a short CV (max. 4 pages), and be submitted to SLGA@giz.de with the subject line: Expression of interest on Policy Brief.
Female and French-speaking applicants are strongly encouraged to apply.
Call for Session Proposals: Land & Youth Digital Conference 2025
Are you a young changemaker passionate about land rights, climate action, and the powerful links between them? The Land & Youth Digital Conference 2025 invites session proposals from youth-led groups and individuals ready to spark meaningful dialogue and drive global action.
This free global conference will be held online and offers an inclusive space for young people to amplify their priorities on land and climate in the lead-up to COP 30 in Brazil. Whether you’re an activist, researcher, community organizer, or simply passionate about the future of our planet, this is your platform to be heard.
We welcome diverse formats—workshops, panels, creative sessions, and interactive discussions—focused on the intersections of land and climate. Sessions may explore indigenous land rights, land tenure and livelihoods, urban youth, green jobs, climate resilience, or other emerging themes that center land as identity, power, and possibility.
To submit a session, you can either:
- Fill out the session proposal form, or
- Submit your session proposal here
- Submit a 5-minute video to youth-conference@landportal.info
Deadline: July 18, 2025.
All participants must register for the conference before submitting here
Tanzania Integrates Land Governance into Climate Action
From 02–04 June 2025, Morogoro, Tanzania hosted a three-day national consultation workshop aimed at aligning land governance with the country’s climate ambitions. The event, organised by Tanzania’s Ministry of Lands, Housing and Human Settlements Development in partnership with the Vice President’s Office, focused on reviewing the country’s second Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC2.0) and laying the groundwork for the forthcoming NDC3.0 submission.
The workshop, supported by GIZ’s “Strengthening Advisory Capacities for Land Governance in Africa” (SLGA) programme, brought together government officials, academic experts, local consultants, and civil society representatives. Their joint mission: to evaluate existing gaps in NDC2.0 and ensure land governance issues are fully embedded in the updated climate framework.
By examining links between land use, tenure security, and climate adaptation, stakeholders developed targets, indicators, and action plans to inform NDC3.0. The process reflects Tanzania’s growing recognition of land governance as a key lever in achieving climate resilience and meeting obligations under the Paris Agreement and Rio Conventions.
SLGA’s support, including the engagement of national and regional consultants, underscores Germany’s ongoing partnership with African countries to enhance climate-smart land policy development. The outcomes of this workshop will also feed into regional and global dialogues, including the 2025 World Bank Land Conference.
Strengthening Youth Employment in The Gambia’s Land Sector
From 3–4 June 2025, Banjul hosted a multi-stakeholder dialogue addressing a pressing issue in The Gambia: the employment prospects of graduates in the land governance sector. Organised by the GIZ–SLGA Programme in collaboration with the NELGA Anglophone West Africa Node, the two-day forum brought together representatives from academia, government, the private sector, and civil society to develop practical solutions for bridging the gap between higher education and the demands of the labour market.
Opening the event, Prof Herbert Robinson, Vice-Chancellor of the University of The Gambia, emphasised the institution’s contribution to the sector since 2010. “Land without capacity is useless,” he noted, underlining the importance of combining knowledge with practical skills to tackle Africa’s land challenges.
A recent labour market study, commissioned by GIZ-SLGA, was presented and discussed. The study revealed a misalignment between academic training and employer expectations, prompting calls for curriculum reform, stronger institutional linkages, and enhanced support for youth entrepreneurship.
Breakout sessions enabled different stakeholder groups to reflect on their roles and propose actionable recommendations at policy, institutional, and individual levels. Regional opportunities and good practices were also explored, contributing to the development of a roadmap for improved youth employability in the land sector.
This initiative marks a step towards aligning education with national development in The Gambia.
NELGA West Africa Strengthens Regional Network Through Alumni Network
From May 13 to 15, 2025, Conakry, Guinea hosted sub-regional workshop on the sustainability of the Network of Excellence on Land Governance in Africa (NELGA) and the launch of its Alumni Network for Francophone West Africa. The event brought together university professors, rectors, students, magistrates, land reform experts, and focal points from eight countries in the region.
The gathering served as a space to reflect on the importance of land governance reforms, the role of academia, and the collective vision for NELGA’s future. Prof. Mohamed Moustapha Diop, NELGA’s focal point in Guinea, emphasized the need for inclusive dialogue and alignment with the African Union’s land policy frameworks. Prof. Ibrahima Diallo, Coordinator of NELGA West Africa, highlighted the network’s achievements in training, research, and policy support.
Mr. Aboubacar Camara, Secretary General of Guinea’s National Transitional Council (CNT), opened the workshop by reaffirming the government’s commitment to supporting NELGA’s mission. He stressed the urgent need to address land insecurity, urban pressure, and land grabbing through coordinated reform efforts.
The workshop concluded with a strong call to connect academic research with policy demand, engage public and private actors, and include university leadership in continental-level decisions to ensure the network’s sustainability and relevance in shaping land governance in West Africa.
Call for Papers: Community-led Responses to Urban and Peri-Urban Land Conflict
Land conflict is a growing challenge in rapidly urbanizing areas across the globe, with marginalized communities often bearing the brunt of disputes over housing, development, and access to basic services. Recognizing the critical role that local actors play in conflict resolution, Environment & Urbanization has launched a Call for Papers for a special issue on Community-led responses to urban and peri-urban land conflict, to be published in November 2026.
Guest editors invite contributions that explore how community groups, grassroots movements, and local institutions address land disputes linked to real estate development, rural–urban migration, gender dynamics, religious or ethnic divisions, and more.
The special issue seeks to unpack:
- The forms of land conflict emerging in diverse urban contexts;
- How these conflicts are navigated by communities themselves;
- The outcomes of these responses for different groups;
- And how governments might learn from or integrate such community-led mechanisms into broader policy frameworks.
Expressions of interest are welcome before 17 November 2025, with full submissions due 15 January 2026. This timely call may serve as a catalyst for longer-term research collaborations—possibly forming part of a roadmap toward the 2026 World Bank Land Conference.
Read More and Apply – Themes for future issues | Environment & Urbanization
Call for Abstracts: 2025 Conference on Land Policy in Africa
The African Land Policy Centre (ALPC) is pleased to announce the Call for Abstracts for the 2025 Conference on Land Policy in Africa (CLPA), taking place from 10–14 November 2025 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The conference will be held under the African Union’s theme of the year: “Justice for Africans and People of African Descent Through Reparations.”
This year’s theme invites deep reflection and scholarly engagement on the historical and ongoing impacts of slavery, colonialism, apartheid, and neo-colonial practices—especially as they relate to land governance, inequality, and reparations.
Researchers, policymakers, practitioners, and members of civil society are encouraged to submit abstracts that explore land governance and justice issues through a Pan-African lens, including climate justice, agri-food systems, economic injustice, displacement, and indigenous knowledge.
Submissions are welcome under various event categories including paper presentations, posters, masterclasses, exhibitions, and side events. Abstracts (700–1000 words) may be submitted in English or French by 10 June 2025
Successful authors will be notified by 10 July 2025, with final papers due 30 August 2025. Selected papers will be considered for publication in the African Journal on Land Policy and Geospatial Sciences.
Apply here call_for_abstracts_clpa_2025.pdf
Land Governance at the Forefront: Reflections and Highlights from the 2025 World Bank Land Conference
The 2025 World Bank Land Conference in Washington, DC, brought together over 800 global land governance experts, policymakers, academics, and practitioners. This year’s theme, “Securing Land Tenure and Access for Climate Action”, placed land firmly at the center of climate discussions, with African voices and innovations leading key conversations.
The African Land Policy Centre (ALPC) and the Network of Excellence on Land Governance in Africa (NELGA), played an active role in shaping dialogue across climate resilience, gender justice, and youth engagement. Through a dedicated exhibit space and multiple sessions, NELGA showcased its commitment to supporting land policy research, youth capacity development, and university partnerships across the continent.
A standout was the NELGA session on “Securing Land for Climate Action in Africa: Ideas, Concepts and Experiences”. It brought together experts from NELGA universities, the Youth Initiative for Land in Africa (YILAA), the London School of Economics and Political Science, the Global Land Tool Network (GLTN), the International Federation of Surveyors (FIG) and GIZ African Union. The discussion focused on aligning land governance with climate action through science-policy strategies, highlighting contributions from NELGA representatives across East, West, and Southern Africa.
As global momentum builds toward COP30, NELGA contributions at the Land Conference reinforced one key message: Securing Land for Climate Action in Africa is fundamental to achieving climate justice in Africa. The partnerships built and knowledge shared in Washington will continue to drive action long after the conference’s close.
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.
Building Climate-Responsive Land Governance in Africa
From 29–30 April 2025, the Network of Excellence on Land Governance in Africa (NELGA), in collaboration with the Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies (PLAAS) at the University of the Western Cape, hosted a two-day online course on Climate Change and Land Governance in Africa.
The training brought together land professionals, researchers, civil society representatives, and policymakers from across the continent. Participants explored the complex and urgent connections between climate change and land governance, focusing on how Africa’s land systems can become more inclusive, resilient, and responsive to climate impacts.
Facilitated by Prof. Ruth Hall, Prof. Moenieba Isaacs, Dr. Phillan Zamchiya, and Dr. James Murombedzi—the course addressed themes such as climate justice, tenure security, adaptation, and sustainable land use. The programme blended theoretical insights with practical case studies, highlighting community-led responses and policy innovations across Africa.
This training reflects NELGA’s broader mission to strengthen the capacity of African institutions and individuals to shape effective land governance systems in the face of growing environmental and socio-political pressures. By equipping stakeholders with knowledge and tools, NELGA aims to support climate-resilient development and ensure equitable access to land for all.