Expertise Area: Governance Expert

Abebaw Abebe Belay

Abebaw Abebe has over a decade of experience in land governance, serving as a land law expert and team coordinator, contributing to law drafting, leading research on land governance and women’s land rights, and actively engaging in land policy platforms.


Djomba Mara

Land rights in mining sector

Land governance policy and environmental management

Stakeholder engagement

project management and development


Eva Abugabe

Security and development expert with a decade of experience in governance, gender, conflict management, and inclusive community development. Currently a Border Security Researcher for Ghana’s government since 2021, implementing policies that enhance national security and foster resilient border communities.


Federica Acquaviva

Currently working as UN Habitat’s Inclusive Land Governance Expert for strengthen regulatory frameworks and building digital LIS in Somalia.


Dr. Abdihakim Osman

I have a PhD in Peace, Governance, and Development along with Master’s degrees in Urban Management and Disaster Resilience Leadership and Humanitarian Action. A recognized thought leader in his field, he is an active member of the International Society of City and Regional Planners (ISOCARP) and the Urban Affairs Association (UAA).

I have nearly two decades of multi-sectoral experience across civil society, the public sector, NGOs, and UN system. Over the last 13 years, I have held senior leadership roles pertinent to the local governance including land administrations. I was was the founding Dean of the Center for Local Governance at the Civil Service Institute and the first Head of the Local Government Institute (LGI). I have an extensive history in supporting and working on the UN flagship Joint Programme on Local Governance (JPLG) and held various positions within UN-Habitat. Currently, I am a Senior Manager of Dowlad-kaab, UN-Habitat’s largest local governance programme in the Eastern and Horn of Africa region.

I am an advocate for strengthening land governance through policy reform and technological innovation. My recent research into the Somali land market serves as the foundation for my current efforts to systematically transform market conditions and land administration in the Somali peninsula.

 


Adv. Matseliso Mota

I am a Legal practitioner with over a decade’s experience in the public sector and civil society in Lesotho. I am currently in the employ of Land Administration Authority, delivering legal and policy advisory services in land governance and administration, legislative drafting, regulatory compliance, dispute resolution and land tenure reform.


Ifedayo Grace Malachi

Social scientist specialising in conflict transformation, peacebuilding, and translocal governance. Research focuses on mobility, integration, and well-being among Indigenous, marginalised, and conflict-affected communities. Uses mixed but participatory, and policy-engaged methods to bridge sociology, governance, and peace studies, with expertise in local diplomacy, land governance, resilience, and community-based policymaking. Skilled in stakeholder engagement, knowledge translation, and designing collaborative platforms to strengthen inclusive governance, evidence-informed decision-making, and institutional capacity


Achamyeleh Adam

I am Achamyeleh Gashu Adam, a full professor and researcher in Land Administration, Governance, and Policy at the Institute of Land Administration, Bahir Dar University, Ethiopia. I currently serve as President of the Ethiopian Land Administration Professionals Association, contributing to national and regional dialogues on land governance. My academic and research background spans a wide range of interrelated topics on land and environmental issues such as land tenure and use management, land administration, land development, land information systems. I earned my PhD in Real Estate Planning and Land Law, specializing in Land Management, from the Royal Institute of Technology (KTH), Stockholm, Sweden, where I also completed my MSc degree in Land Management. Additionally, I hold an MSc in Geo-information Science (GIS) from Bahir Dar University. Moreover, I am a certified Development and Management Consultant, with over 25 years of professional experience who have been serving in diverse roles : as a researcher, educator, supervisor, leader, project coordinator, and consultant across academia, government, and development sectors. At Bahir Dar University and outside, I have held several leadership positions, including Dean of the Institute of Land Administration. I have also served as Coordinator of the Land Governance Interest Group within the East African Land Administration Network (ELAN), Coordinator of the DAAD PhD Regional/Country Scholarship Program, and member of both National and Regional Land Policy Reform Task Forces. As a specialist in land management, I have played a key role in designing and developing curricula for BSc, MSc, and PhD programs in land administration and governance. My contributions ensure that environmental concerns and other crosscutting issues are thoughtfully integrated into academic frameworks, fostering holistic and context-sensitive learning. From a research and publication point of view, I have extensively contributed to scholarly work on a range of critical land and environmental related issues. My publications address urban and peri-urban land tenure management and development challenges, informal settlements, climate-induced land conflicts and climate actions, large-scale land acquisitions for agricultural investment, as well as the complex nexus between land and migration governance particularly focusing on migrants’ access to land. My research interest largely emphasis on the African context in general and Ethiopian context particular.


Habtamu Semahagne

I am an Assistant Professor at Bahir Dar University’s Institute of Land Administration with advanced degrees in law, land policy, and resource management. I research and publish on land governance, rights, federalism, migration, displacement, and women land rights.


Tata Emmanuel Sunjo

I am an Associate Professor and Head of Civil and Architectural Engineering at the University of Buea, with 11+ years’ experience in climate, environmental governance, disaster risk, and conflict studies. I lead two international research projects on climate adaptation and conflict resolution in Africa.