Secure land rights are essential for development. Yet across many African countries, weak land governance systems continue to limit economic opportunity and social stability. The Strengthening Advisory Capacities for Land Governance in Africa (SLGA) programme is helping change this reality through targeted country initiatives in Ethiopia, Uganda, Senegal, and Tunisia.

In Ethiopia, SLGA supported research that directly informed national policy discussions. Two research reports and nine policy briefs addressed issues such as land use planning, climate change, and gender equality in land governance. The evidence shaped consultations involving more than 190 policymakers and practitioners. The programme also helped develop three national land data standards and supported the National Spatial Data Infrastructure, improving access to geospatial information for planning and land registration.

In Uganda, SLGA contributed to the review of the country’s National Land Policy. Research on long-standing land tenure conflicts provided evidence for reforms aimed at protecting both tenants and landowners. The programme also introduced a training model that created 25 certified master trainers. These trainers now support capacity building across districts and local administrations.

In Senegal, SLGA focused on skills and innovation. Training programmes reached students, mediators, and public officials working on land disputes. The initiative also helped establish a national community of practice connecting more than 40 professionals from 20 institutions.

This network now shares solutions and lessons for improving land management.

In Tunisia, research supported legal reforms and long-term agricultural land strategies. A new certified training programme for senior officials is strengthening expertise in sustainable land management and climate resilience.

👉 Explore the full stories, insights, and lessons in the booklet: nelga.uneca.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Insights-from-the-SLGA-Country-Components_Online.pdf

The recently launched FAO Status of Land Tenure and Governance report confirms a stark reality: the world faces a profound land inequality problem. Highlighted at the second International Conference on Agricultural Reform and Rural Development (ICARRD+20), the report provides compelling evidence that land redistribution must be central to addressing intertwined crises of poverty, hunger, and ecological degradation.

Land inequality has wide-ranging impacts: it exacerbates poverty, threatens food security, undermines social cohesion, stifles economic growth, fuels conflict, weakens democratic governance, and drives environmental degradation. Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, while relatively less unequal, face rising pressures from population growth, industrial agriculture, extractive industries, and urbanisation — a “land squeeze” that increasingly threatens livelihoods.

The report also reveals critical gaps: laws and policies on women’s land rights are insufficiently implemented; formalisation does not always enhance tenure security; and data collection remains inadequate, making it difficult to monitor progress effectively. Between 2019 and 2023, the percentage of people who perceive their land rights as insecure rose from 19% to 23%, highlighting the urgency of action.

What is needed is not more guidelines, but decisive implementation. ICARRD+20 proposes three urgent steps: first, publicly affirm that land inequality is detrimental to human rights, development, democracy, and the environment; second, place land redistribution at the centre of governance and rural transformation initiatives; and third, establish mechanisms for tracking outcomes, including land Gini coefficients, to monitor progress in reducing inequality and improving tenure security.

FAO’s report provides the mirror the world needs. Now, governments, civil society, and research institutions must act to turn evidence into transformative change.

As a follow-up to the GIZ LandHub Conference in Berlin, we are pleased to share the Land Governance Toolkit a practical resource that translates more than ten years of experience and lessons highlighted during the conference into concrete, ready-to-use guidance. The toolkit responds to a clear demand from practitioners and partners for tools that make land governance actionable across sectors and contexts.

Building on proven approaches, the toolkit compiles success factors, target groups, potential benefits, and key stakeholders into structured and adaptable tools that can be applied in diverse project settings. It covers core land governance areas such as land administration, systematic land registration, digitalisation of land information systems, sustainable financing, participatory land use planning, and community-based land governance mechanisms. Each thematic section provides practical steps, implementation considerations, and links to additional resources.

A key strength of the Land Governance Toolkit is its cross-sectoral perspective. It demonstrates how land governance contributes to outcomes in agriculture and food security, climate and environmental protection, social development, peace and security, sustainable infrastructure, and economic development. By making these connections explicit, the toolkit supports the integration of land governance into broader development programmes rather than treating it as a stand-alone technical issue.

Designed for practitioners, policymakers, and development partners, the toolkit helps strengthen tenure security, prevent land-related conflicts, and promote sustainable and inclusive land use. It serves as a practical reference for translating policy principles and conference discussions into effective, on-the-ground action.

Download the toolkit Land-Governance-Toolkit-Practical-land-governance-solutions-for-cross-sectoral-application.pdf

The African Journal on Land Policy and Geospatial Sciences (AJLP-GS) has published its November 2025 Regular Issue (Vol. 8, No. 9). This issue brings a collection of peer-reviewed articles that advance knowledge on land policy, geospatial sciences, climate dynamics, and urban development across Africa.

Under the theme Land Policy and Regulatory Framework, the issue features studies examining ethical challenges in land management in Kenya, climate variability and vegetation dynamics in Ethiopia, and the impacts of customary land acquisition on tenure security in refugee-host communities in Northern Uganda.

The section on Geospatial Sciences and Land Governance presents diverse applications of geospatial tools and remote sensing, including rainfall trends in Senegal’s Saloum Delta mangrove ecosystem, community-based flood early warning systems in Malawi, spatial relationships between farmlands and hydrography in Cameroon, and remote sensing approaches to monitoring land degradation in Kenya’s Narok County.

The issue also addresses Urban Development and City Resilience, with research analysing the spatial distribution of informal motorcycle parking stations in Tanzania’s Ubungo Municipality, highlighting urban planning challenges in rapidly growing cities.

Overall, Vol. 8, No. 9 reflects AJLP-GS’s commitment to promoting interdisciplinary, policy-relevant research that supports sustainable land governance and spatial planning across Africa. The full issue is available online, with articles accessible in both English and French.

Vol. 8 No. 9 (2025): Regular Issue – November | African Journal on Land Policy and Geospatial Sciences

The Government of Uganda, through the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development and support from Network of Excellence on Land Governance in Africa through SLGA programme, convened a national workshop in Kampala to advance the review and validation of the 2025 Draft National Land Policy and its implementation strategy. The workshop brought together representatives from government institutions, NELGA, civil society organizations, development partners, and donors, and was graced by the Honorable Minister.

Held from 10–12 December 2025, the engagement provided a platform for shaping Uganda’s land governance priorities in a rapidly evolving socio-economic and environmental context. Discussions focused on strengthening land tenure security, land use and management, land administration, and land markets, with a strong emphasis on enhancing transparency and accountability.

Participants highlighted challenges, including gaps across statutory and customary tenure systems, gender inequalities, and limited access to land for youth, pastoralists, internally displaced persons, and other marginalized groups. The workshop also underscored pressures on land resulting from agriculture, mining, urbanization, environmental conservation, refugee settlement, and climate change, calling for policy responses that are inclusive, responsive, and forward-looking.

The policy review process continues to benefit from technical inputs and multi-stakeholder collaboration. Contributions from NELGA played an important role in anchoring discussions in evidence and regional experience.

“Land belongs to the ancestors for the unborn. It is only under the custody of those who are alive,” said His Royal Highness Drani Stephen Izakari of Uganda, capturing the essence of Africa’s enduring relationship with land.

At the 2025 Conference on Land Policy in Africa (CLPA 2025), the Network of Excellence on Land Governance in Africa (NELGA) convened scholars and traditional leaders to reflect on a decade of progress in strengthening Africa’s land governance systems. The session underscored the vital role of traditional leaders in managing customary land which accounts for up to 90% of land in many African countries and in ensuring that local values, justice, and identity remain central to governance.

Discussions drew lessons from Zambia’s dual tenure system, Cameroon’s borderland governance, Ghana’s urban land challenges, and Nigeria’s initiatives to harmonize customary law. Speakers noted that while customary systems have sustained community cohesion and stewardship for generations, they continue to face challenges linked to colonial legacies, such as unclear succession, limited legal recognition, and exclusion of women and youth.

Participants emphasized the need for collaboration between governments, traditional institutions, and academia to align customary and statutory systems. Researchers were called upon to bridge indigenous knowledge and formal frameworks to promote inclusive and sustainable land management.

The message was clear: for Africa’s land governance to be just and resilient, it must embrace its traditional custodians those who have protected the land for the past, the present, and the future.

“Just land governance begins with people — and with places.” This message set the tone for the GIZ side event, “Towards Just Land Governance,” held during the 2025 Conference on Land Policy in Africa (CLPA) in Addis Ababa.

The session brought together policymakers, researchers, and practitioners from across the continent to reflect on lessons learned from over a decade of collaboration through the Global Programme on Responsible Land Policy (GPRLP) and the Strengthening Advisory Capacities for Land Governance in Africa (SLGA) programme. Discussions emphasized that inclusion, evidence, and innovation remain central to achieving equitable land systems.

Cissy Namuddu Settumba Kiyaga from the Buganda Land Board highlighted that partnerships between governments, civil society, and traditional leaders are crucial to building trust and driving meaningful change at the community level. Similarly, Michel Delor Atangane Mbang from Cameroon’s Centre pour l’Environnement et le Développement stressed the importance of cross-country learning to promote transparency and prevent land-related conflict.

Adding a broader perspective, Professor Uchendu Eugene Chigbu urged participants to move beyond the principle of “leaving no one behind” to “leaving no place behind,” underscoring the need to integrate rural areas fully into land reform and development initiatives.

These reflections echo the Berlin Land Week Declaration, which calls for secure land rights to be embedded in agricultural, environmental, and social policies to achieve justice, sustainability, and shared prosperity.

📄 Read the Berlin Land Week Declaration – https://nelga.uneca.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Shaping-the-Future-of-Land-Governance-A-Global-Call-to-Action-for-Food-Security-and-Fair-Life-for-All.pdf

The Youth Initiative for Land in Africa (YILAA) Namibia Network has officially been launched, marking a milestone in empowering young Namibians to engage meaningfully in land governance and sustainable development. This initiative is dedicated to connecting youth to land and creating opportunities for their active participation in shaping Namibia’s land future.

Through collaboration with NELGA, the National Youth Council of Namibia, the Namibia University of Science and Technology (NUST), and the FIG Young Surveyors Network of Namibia (YSN-Namibia), the initiative builds a strong foundation for inclusive and sustainable land management.

The YILAA Namibia Network aims to enhance youth access to knowledge, innovation, and participation in land-related decision-making processes. By bringing together diverse expertise and fostering collaboration, the network promotes responsible and equitable land governance ensuring that young voices are heard and valued in shaping Namibia’s development pathways.