Tag: GIZ
Registration open! The State of Land Data: Transforming Africa into a Powerhouse of the Future
Date & Time: Jun 22, 2023, 03:00 PM EAT
Discover how effective land data governance can transform Africa into a powerhouse of the future! We invite you to join our engaging webinar, co-organized by GIZ, BMZ, and NELGA.
This webinar aims to empower researchers and practitioners across Africa by enhancing their understanding of sustainable approaches to land data governance. By showcasing the significance of robust land data governance, we will explore its potential to improve property rights and streamline government services.
Attendees will gain valuable insights into how enhanced data governance can foster ethical and transparent land-related activities for individuals, communities, businesses, and government agencies. The webinar will also present real-world examples of SOLI research conducted in Southern African countries through a collaborative effort between the Land Portal Foundation and NELGA researchers.
Language: English (Simultaneous interpretation available in French, Portuguese, and Spanish)
Don’t miss this opportunity to be a part of the journey towards unlocking Africa’s potential through effective land data management. Register Here.
From the Ground Up: How Land Governance Sensitization Workshops in East Africa are Empowering Educators to Create a Better Future for the Continent
The NELGA Eastern Africa Node, in collaboration with African Land Policy Centre, GIZ and EALAN Secretariat, organized a series of workshops to popularize the Guidelines for Development of Curricula on Land Governance in Africa. The workshops were held between 22nd – 27th of March 2023 in Kampala, Kigali, and Dar es Salaam. The workshops attracted representatives of University Management, University Accreditation Boards, Professional bodies and academic units in universities offering land governance programs in the three countries. A total of 55 participants attended the three workshops.
The workshops involved the presentation of the guidelines developed by the African Land Policy Centre for implementation by universities in Africa. The Guidelines were presented at the workshops by the Coordinator of the NELGA Eastern Africa Node on behalf of the African Land Policy Centre. Engaging discussion ensued, touching on content, relevance and adoption of the guidelines in developing curricula on land governance-related programs. Participants in the three sessions acknowledged that the workshops on Guidelines were timely as most universities were either on the verge of reviewing or developing their curricula. Key comments on the content pointed to the need to further de-colonize the curricula, tailor the curricula to land governance theories suiting the African context, re-imagining housing, rethink the status of women’s land rights, particularly in the context of Eastern Africa region and use the Guidelines to develop benchmark standards for land governance academic programs in Africa.
With regard to mainstreaming the Guidelines in existing or new degree programs in land governance, participants proposed the use of different modes, including informing the curricula through developing standalone subjects, electives, seminars or topics; incorporating the themes in Universities research agenda, and reconsidering the mode of delivery of the curricula that will not overwhelm the learners.
From NELGA Scholarship to a GIZ Advisor – Anthony’s Success Story
Working with GIZ allows me to give back to the organisation by using the skills and techniques I learned through the GIZ-assisted scholarship programme – Anthony Sarfo
One of the best things that happened to me in 2018 after finishing my undergraduate studies in Human Settlement Planning was being a part of the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) In-country programme under the Strengthening Land Governance in Africa (SLGA) through the Network of Excellence in Land Governance in Africa (NELGA). The scholarship enabled me to research the contextualization of sustainable land use planning with incorporated geospatial technology tenets as input and precursor for land governance in small and intermediate urban areas.
This cumulated in a master’s degree and a position at The Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit GmbH (GIZ).
The NELGA Programme is adaptable and provides opportunities for professional and academic growth. A series of training and networking events were held to improve co-learning and scholar capacity in research approaches and methodologies, data collection, and science communication. I also attended a summer school at the Goethe-Universitat Frankfurt am Main Training programme on the theme of Environmental and remote sensing data analyses via geospatial technologies in research and teaching. This enhanced my capacity in geospatial technologies, academic communication, support and guidance, and higher education didactics. I was able to enrol in two additional courses: digital image acquisition and processing at the geomatic department and spatial documentation of land rights at the land economy department at KNUST.
With the skills acquired, my initial publication during the scholarship programme was on corruption in the land governance in Ghana, titled “Towards Elimination of Corruption in the Land Sector: Incorporation of Geospatial Technologies in Land Governance at the Local Level” published in the African Journal on Land Policy and Geospatial Sciences. The paper advances a course for the incorporation of technology in land management as an indispensable endeavour to eliminate the bottlenecks and contribute to the fight against corruption in the land sector. Read More Here. Two other publications from my M.Phil. studies on the conceptualization of sustainable land use planning for land governance and the assessment of unsustainable spatial development of two intermediate towns through earth observation are in press. Further skills attained enabled me to undertake consultancy works on land use planning and adjunct lecturing roles at a prestigious university in Ghana.
I seek to contribute to methodologies for effective planning practices in Ghana in the purview of sustainability, earth observation, land governance, climate change, and gender. Presently, I am with the GIZ on the Resilient Against Climate Change (REACH) Project as a Technical Advisor (GIS and Remote Sensing). The project, being implemented in the Northern part of Ghana, works towards promoting inclusive and sustainable economic growth and increasing agricultural outcomes in rural communities of the Joint Programme Area (JPA). Additionally, envisage a point where planning at the community level is enhanced through participatory Community Action Plans (CAPS) and Community Land Use Plans (CLUP) in at least 200 communities in the JPA. I deem this an opportunity to use the skills and techniques acquired during my studies with GIZ assisted scholarship programme.
NELGA Presents: International Women’s Month Q&A Series
Welcome to the International Women’s Month Q&A series on the NELGA website. This March, we are shining a spotlight on the critical contributions that women are making in the field of land governance and land rights. As part of this series, we’re interviewing well-known women in the field affiliated with the network. They’ll talk about their experiences, insights, and points of view on various issues related to land governance, policy, and rights.
The goal of these Q&As is to honour the accomplishments of women in this field while also bringing attention to the problems they’ve had to deal with and the chances for progress and change. We hope this series will encourage more people to get involved in land governance and work for more social justice and gender equity.
We are excited to share the stories and insights of these women, whose actions influence NELGA’s impact in Africa. We hope you will join us in celebrating International Women’s Month and women’s contributions to the land governance field.
#EMBRACEEQUITY
Find the stories here:
Johannes’s Sucess Story – NELGA Intern
It was such an exciting opportunity to be part of a culturally diverse organization while gaining experience in land governance in Africa – Lineekelomwene Johannes, Former Intern with NELGA Southern Africa Node at NUST
In February 2023, I completed all requirements towards my achieving a Bachelor of Business Management degree from the prestigious Namibia University of Science and Technology (NUST). NUST is the leading hub for the Network of Excellence on Land Governance in Africa, an African Union network managed by the African Land Policy Centre through the support of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit GmbH (GIZ).
Part of the requirements for graduation was to embark on an internship through Work-integrated Learning (WIL). This is an integral aspect of our curriculum and must be completed by all students for graduation. Lucky for me, I met Mr. Theodor Muduva, the advisor for NELGA at NUST and I was given the opportunity to gain experience as an administrative assistant intern for the network in southern Africa.
Simply put, it altered the playing field and was a game-changing experience. I was putting theory into practice and exchanging real-world experience. It was a thrill to work with people from various walks of life and learn from their experiences and perspectives. Before I joined NELGA, I had never thought of being interested in land issues, but through NELGA, I became knowledgeable about them. Mentors at the NELGA hub at NUST, especially Mr. Muduva, were extremely rewarding; and cumulatively inspired me to do my best in all my endeavours as I contributed my bit to my country’s development, region and the continent and, of course, come out with a better-than-average grade in my WIL course.
During my internship, a highlight of my time was participating in a planning and review meeting for NELGA with delegates from across Africa speaking as one voice. It was a tremendous pleasure for me to interact with NUST faculty, NELGA partner universities, African Land Policy Centre, GIZ as the implementing partner and many others. I was learning about land governance outside of my original academic interest; however, I could see the business management intersections and alignment with land and how this impacts the continent. It was a thrilling experience.
I am incredibly grateful for the invaluable insight into the workings of the business world that I gained due to my time spent in NELGA in these early professional years. Being a part of the NELGA team was an incredible opportunity to gain significant experience and intellectual resources to guide my future career goals.
Pour une amélioration des curricula sur la gouvernance foncière en Afrique Centrale: NELGA Afrique centrale organise un atelier de sensibilisation sur la révision des programmes d’enseignement en matière de gouvernance foncière
Du 10 au 13 novembre 2020, des experts en gouvernance foncière et des universitaires issus des principales universités et institutions académiques du Cameroun se réuniront dans la ville universitaire de Dschang pour examiner la nécessité de disposer des curricula actualisés sur la gouvernance foncière qui tienne compte du contexte africain et qui soit en étroite ligne avec les recommandations de l’Union Africaine en matière de gouvernance foncière.
La réunion est organisée par le Réseau d’excellence sur la gouvernance foncière en Afrique (NELGA), qui est coordonné par le Centre africain de politique foncière (ALPC) avec le soutien du ministère fédéral allemand de la coopération économique et du développement (BMZ) auprès de l’Union africaine, sur le thème “Lignes directrices pour l’élaboration des curricula sur la gouvernance foncière en Afrique”.
La réunion est la résultante de la volonté de universités partenaires à NELGA Afrique centrale d’obtenir un soutien et des conseils dans la révision et la conception des programmes d’études sur les questions de gouvernance foncière. Il est alors nécessaire de sensibiliser ces universités sur les directives conçues par l’Union Africaine en matière de révision des curricula afin d’aligner les programmes d’enseignement sur les politiques stratégiques de l’Union africaine.
L’Université de Yaoundé I via le réseau NELGA en étroite collaboration avec ses universités partenaires ont envisagé le présent atelier de sensibilisation/formation afin de doter les responsables universitaires d’Afrique centrale des outils et connaissances nécessaires à la révision de leurs programmes d’études sur le foncier tout en s’assurant de la conformité de ces programmes avec les lignes directrices de l’Union africaine.
La gouvernance foncière est associée à la gestion de plusieurs autres ressources connexes qui pourraient propulser la croissance économique, la prospérité et le développement durable à grande échelle, d’une part, et les activités culturelles, d’autre part. La terre joue également un rôle prédominant dans la cohésion sociale, la paix et la sécurité.
Compte tenu du déficit observé dans le secteur du foncier en Afrique, notamment en matière de compétences et d’expertise, les États membres de l’Union Africaine ont été invités à “développer des capacités humaines, financières et techniques adéquates pour soutenir l’élaboration et la mise en Å“uvre de la politique foncière en Afrique”. Il a alors été recommandé aux universités et établissements d’enseignement supérieur d’examiner les programmes d’études, de recherche et de formation existants afin de déterminer s’ils sont adéquats pour répondre aux besoins de l’industrie. Des lacunes importantes ont été identifiées dans le contenu et la nature des programmes de formation et de recherche proposés par les universités et autres établissements d’enseignement supérieur africains.
Face à ce constat, le Centre Africain sur les Politiques foncières (ALPC – African Land Policy Centre) a élaboré en partenariat avec un groupe d’experts et d’académiciens africains les « lignes directrices pour le développement de programmes d’études sur la gouvernance foncière en Afrique ». Ce document a pour objectif de servir de cadre pour le développement et/ou la revue des curricula académiques des universités Africaines. Ces lignes directrices ont été présentées à l’organe politique compétent de l’UA pour approbation et sont ensuite devenu l’un des outils clefs de la mise en Å“uvre de l’agenda de l’UA sur le foncier.
À la fin de l’atelier, les universités de Dschang, Douala, Yaoundé, Cameroun, Université de Bangui en RCA, l’Université de N’Djamena au Tchad et Omar Bongo au Gabon commenceront à réviser le contenu des cours sur le foncier.