Expertise Area: Land Rights Expert

Melkam Ayalew Gebru

I am a lecturer in real property valuation at the Institute of Land Administration, Debre Markos University. I hold a BSc in Land Administration and Surveying and MSc in Real Property Valuation, both from Bahir Dar University.

I have over four years of experience as Head of the Department of Real Property Valuation and have been serving as Vice Dean of the Institute of Land Administration at Debre Markos University since September 2025. My research interests include urban studies, land use, property valuation, land value capture, real estate finance, and land and real estate economics.

I have published more than seven articles in reputable international journals (Elsevier, Emerald, and ASCE) and have extensive experience in teaching, curriculum development, academic leadership, and collaborative research. 


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.


Nathaline Zwuogbae

Climate Change, MEAL, and land rights professional with experience at Catholic Relief Services, USAID, and ForumCiv Liberia, specialising in climate-smart agriculture and Climate adaptation, monitoring and evaluation, environmental safeguards, land rights advocacy, capacity building, and community development to support evidence-based, inclusive, and climate-resilient programs.


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.


Safiatu ALABI

More than 15 years working on land dispute résolution in displacement areas with Norwegian Refugees Council. (Côte d’Ivoire, DRC, CAR and Cameroun)
5 years working on women land issue with USAID. (Côte d’Ivoire)

Currently consultant with GIZ on inclusive land securing targeting private sector.


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.


Ousmane Mohamadou WAGUE

Titulaire du Grade de Professeur Habilité en Sociologie du Développement, je dispose d’une expérience de 25 ans dans l’Enseignement universitaire, la recherche scientifique, la coordination des curricula à l’Université, l’élaboration des plans stratégiques des formations, l’animation des modules de formation, des ateliers, au niveau national et international. Consultant international certifié, j’ai accumulé également une expérience de plusieurs années dans la conduite des études, l’assistance technique, entre autres. J’ai conduit aussi plusieurs missions en qualité de consultant principal ou de Chef de mission auprès de nombreuses ONG nationale et internationale, institutions et projets de développement opérant dans le cadre des migrations, du développement urbain et rural, de la gouvernance foncière en milieu rural en Mauritanie. (Plus d’une quarantaine d’études menées auprès du Programme Alimentaire Mondial, (PAM), la Communauté Urbaine(CUN), la FAO, Nelga-Maroc-Union africaine, la Banque Mondiale, l’OIM…. (Voir les détails ci- dessous) …. J’ai également exercé dans la presse écrite et la communication en Tunisie et en Mauritanie. Formateur permanent dans le cadre du projet de formation des Agents de développement des Collectivités territoriales.  (ADCT/UN) et à l’École Nationale de l’Administration, du Journalisme et de la Magistrature (ENAJM), au Collège de Défense du G5 Sahel, je poursuis toujours l’élargissement de mon éventail d’activités à d’autres organisations et structures universitaires, sous régionales et internationales.

Zone d’intervention : milieux agro-pastoraux, localités éprouvées par les changements climatiques, Zones Economiques Fragiles (ZEF) 


Moussa DJIRE

Researches and consultancies on land gouvernance , customary land rights , management of water resources, climate change adaptation , conflict resolution in Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger , Ghana , Côte d’Ivoire , Guinea Togo and Gabon . Supervision and management of several research groups , organisation and animation of training on several themes related to land tenure and land governance .


Eugene Chigbu

More than 15 years teaching, researching, training, networking, writing and advising on methods for improving societal challenges through land governance.


Innocent Antoine Houedji

Over 10 years of experience in the land governance sector, including more than 5 years specifically focused on youth land rights.