Tag: LAND
UGB Land Management Students Gain Practical Knowledge on Pedagogical Field Trip
On April 12 and 13, 2023, Master’s Students in Land Governance and Land Management from the Université Gaston Berger in Senegal embarked on a pedagogical field excursion in the country under the supervision of Professor Samba Traoré. The excursion, which was supplementary to the student’s professional training, spanned two days and two locations. The itinerary included visits to the Ross-Bethio-based SAED delegation in Dagana and the Bokhol community.
The excursion aimed to disseminate theoretical and practical knowledge regarding land governance, including its issues and proposed solutions. The specific objectives consisted of a pedagogical component and a scientific component, both of which were pursued to ensure the smooth operation of the educational excursion on land.
The first stop was the Ross-Bethio-based SAED delegation in Dagana. The heads of the local SAED welcomed the group. They presented the instruments used for land management and the objectives, functions, roles, and policies for land management and spatial planning in support of eleven regional municipalities.
The second visit was to the municipal town hall of Bokhol. The mayor and his associates described the municipal issues and the difficulties it faces vis-à-vis its neighbours, notably those associated with the delimitation and division of different land bases. As residents of the communes of Bokhol, Gaya and Dagana have customary rights to land in other communes, which is regarded as the primary source of conflict within these communities. To preserve these relationships, the mayor permits other municipalities to exploit BOKHOL’s properties, even though this violates Law No. 64-46 of 17 June 1964.
During the visit, the team could comprehend the significance of SAED’s land management methods in the Senegal River Valley region. They also grasped the society’s relationship with territorial collectivities and populations and the procedure for utilising its services.
Students expanded their knowledge of land management in the Senegal River Valley. They learned about the difficulties faced by the populations, particularly in the Bokhol region, where water is scarce for agriculture during the off-season in the djieri, where most of the commune’s land is situated. Aside from this, no land office addresses challenges associated with local land management.
The educational field excursion was essential for the enhancement of theoretical knowledge in the field of land governance and territorial administration. The purpose of the excursion was to prepare the students for professional life, particularly in land management administration and related services. The excursion provided students with the practical knowledge and operational skills necessary to improve land and resource management in the country. The pedagogical field excursion was required and essential for the student’s professional development. The trip provided students with an in-depth comprehension of land management in the Senegal River Valley and the difficulties faced by the local population. Students could comprehend the working methods of SAED and their significance in land management, spatial planning, and the relationship between territorial collectivities and populations as a result of this excursion. Students could apply their theoretical knowledge to real-world situations and acquire practical knowledge and operational skills through this expedition. The knowledge gained on the trip will unquestionably contribute to improving the country’s land governance and territorial management. Students left with a deeper comprehension of the challenges and opportunities in the field of land management.
NELGA Open Calls for Application to its Research Fellowship and Staff Exchange Program
The Network of Excellence on Land Governance in Africa has recently announced a fantastic opportunity for researchers and practitioners in the field of land governance in Africa (NELGA). NELGA has announced the launch of a call for research funding and an exchange programme to support the study of land governance in Africa.
Researchers, practitioners, and professionals engaged in enhancing land governance in Africa are encouraged to respond. The program aims to fund studies that will eventually lead to evidence-based policies and interventions that encourage equitable access to land resources and environmentally responsible land use.
The initiative will provide funding to qualified researchers to continue their work on land governance research projects in Africa. Proposals can be submitted in English, French, or Portuguese. Scientists from any African nation are encouraged to join the programme.
Conversely, the goal of the staff exchange programme is to facilitate communication and skill-building amongst land governance practitioners and professionals in Africa. Some participants in this programme can spend time at an affiliated institution, where they can take advantage of the host organization’s expertise and gain insight into its methods.
NELGA’s regional hubs and African partner institutions will implement these two initiatives through the German Academic Exchange (DAAD). This request is part of NELGA’s larger initiative to fund the study and improvement of African land administration.
Visit the NELGA website and follow the application instructions provided there to be considered for the research funding and staff exchange programme.
Find the link to the Staff Exchange Program.
Find the link to the research fellowship in English and French.
MOROCCO: IAV Hassan II Publish the 2023 Journal on Land and Geospatial Sciences
NELGA today announced the publishing of its first Issue of the African Journal on Land Policy and Geospatial Sciences (AJLP&GS) for 2023.
You are kindly invited to view the published articles of this Issue, available at:
NELGA Researchers in Southern Africa Master the Art of Scientific Writing
Scientific writing is important in the development of academia and academic institutions. It is a challenge for postgraduate students and lecturers (supervisors) to write scientific papers, especially for publication in high impact scientific journals. Academics and postgraduate students have found it difficult to develop their scientific writing skills to meet the publication requirements of high impact journals. Lecturers who supervise postgraduate candidates face the daunting task of transferring quality scientific writing skills to the students since writing at postgraduate level is complex. Therefore, strengthening the capacity of lecturers to transfer scientific writing skills effectively improves graduation rates and academic publications.
In an attempt to a Scientific Writers’ workshop was held back in October 2022 at Chaminuka Lodge and Nature Reserves in Lusaka, Zambia. The objectives of the workshop are as follows; i) Improve the quality of scientific writing skills. ii) Assist early researchers working on scientific papers to produce publishable papers. iii) Increase research collaboration among NELGA member Universities and iv) Strengthen research supervision and mentorship skills of academic staff supervising postgraduate students.
The Workshop was a collaboration among Namibian University of Science and Technology (NUST), Network for Land Governance in Africa (NELGA), University of Zambia, and sponsored by GIZ. The University of Zambia hosted the workshop, facilitated by four consultants: Professor Chigbu (Namibia), Professor Chakwizira (South Africa), Dr Pamela Duran Diaz (Germany), and Dr Chavunduka (Zimbabwe). The consultants led each of the sessions that focused on a specific aspect of scientific writing. The areas covered included: H-index and Social Impact factors in scientific academic publication; Strategies of scientific writing skills; Comparing different styles of scientific writing; Conducting effective literature review; Writing scientific articles; Publishing articles in high-ranking journals; Strategies of scientific writing skills; Comparing different styles of scientific writing; Tips on PhD Discourse.
Ten (10) PhD students and one (1) Masters Student registered at various universities also presented summaries of their research papers. Supervisors gave feedback to the students and identified areas of improvement. The main outputs of the workshop included the identification of the members of team to spearhead the development of a scientific writer’/supervisors’ manual. Secondly, the submission of abstracts from each of the participants as a contribution as a chapter a book that will be edited and published.
Land Stakeholders Chart Course on Land Transformation in Ghana
From the 6th to the 9th of December, land stakeholders in Ghana will convene at the 2022 National Land Conference to institutionalize a structured arrangement for multi-stakeholder participation in the transformation of the land sector in Ghana.
The conference was organised under the theme – Leveraging National Land Policy, Legislation and institutional Capacity Towards Sustainable Socio-Economic Development by the Ministry of Land and Natural Resources and COLANDEF with the support of the German Development Cooperation, NELGA and other partners.
The conference creates the platform to discuss policy options and experiences, present new research and scalable innovations, foster high-level support and ownership of interventions to tackle land governance, and empower and develop the capacities of the land sector stakeholders. The Conference will establish a multi-stakeholder platform that will monitor the implementation of the conference’s recommendations, including the implementation of Ghana’s new national land policy and provide support for improving land governance and land administration in the country on a sustainable basis.
Click here to read more about the conference.
EAC Premiers its Regional Platform on Land
Partner States of the East Africa Community (EAC) are resolute in ensuring the implementation of the African Union (AU) Declaration on land within their respective countries. The resolution follows the sharing of best practices by the EAC Partner States during the first Regional Platform meeting held on 17-18 August 2022 in Kampala, Uganda. The platform provides EAC Partner States with an opportunity to share country lessons and best practices in land policy formulation, implementation and review to inform land reform processes in their respective countries.
“The Regional Platform is the first of its kind in the EAC and is expected to generate discussions and knowledge which will be helpful to all EAC Partner Statesâ€, explains the EAC Secretariat Director of Productive Services Jean Baptiste Havugimana. The forum discussions, he went on to explain, help to promote sustainable development and the rational utilisation of the region’s natural resources.
Joan Kagwanja, the Coordinator of the African Land Policy Centre at the Economic Commission for Africa, applauded the EAC for putting in place a Regional Steering Committee and establishing the Regional Platform, which provides a sustainable mechanism for bringing the Partner States together for the periodic sharing of lessons and dissemination of best practices in land policy formulation and implementation. She noted that land governance issues are cross-cutting within the region and reiterated the need to improve land governance in East Africa to achieve the EAC Vision 2050.
To facilitate the first Regional Platform ALPC provided technical support for a regional assessment to determine the status of land policy development in EAC Partner States. The assessment identified priority and emerging issues, along with the best practices in each of the Partner States, identifying the need for the establishment of a regional platform to facilitate the sharing of lessons and best practices. The participants appreciate the role of the Network of Excellence on Land Governance in Africa, especially the achievement of the Eastern Africa node and its universities in the land policy processes in Partner States; and the potential contribution of the network to the Regional Platform.
Government representatives from Tanzania, South Sudan, Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya and Burundi shared best practices at the forum, including the inclusion of the land rights of women, youth and other vulnerable groups in the land policies, laws and practices of Partner States. The forum called for the EAC secretariat, with the support of ALPC, to enhance capacity building and resource mobilisation for land policy formulation, implementation and review within EAC Partner States.
NOTE TO EDITORS:
The African Land Policy Centre (ALPC) is a joint programme of the tripartite consortium consisting of the African Union Commission (AUC), United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) and the African Development Bank (AfDB). Its purpose is to lead and coordinate the implementation of the AU Agenda on Land
Youth Engagement for Global Action on Land Rights
Did you know that empowering young people through knowledge and information on land rights can reduce poverty rates and support the development of the African continent?
As the world celebrates the 2020 International Youth Day Edition, we must harness the untapped potentials in our youth as the continent has the largest concentration of young people in the world. It is essential to engage the African youth in knowledge building and encouraging creativity to rapidly transform the continent’s land situations as key for a
The global theme for #IYD2020 calls for Youth Engagement for Global Action; this is the time for African youth to improve their knowledge, advertise for youth-focused research and develop lasting solutions to land governance challenges on the continent. With good land governance and secure land rights, young people can help to stabilize their societies and create more opportuniti
Call for applications for research fellowships under the “Network of Excellence for Land Governance in Africa (NELGA)” during the COVID-19 crisis.
The coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis has forced the world into action. The measures taken to contain the virus have impacted the whole of society, including the education sector, with research becoming more important than ever. To help investigating how COVID-19 and related measures potentially affect housing, land, and property rights in African countries, and to deliver high-quality research on the COVID 19 implications for land governance institutions and systems in the long-term, the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) offers support for special research fellowships under the “Network of Excellence for Land Governance in Africa (NELGA)” in the form of desk studies.
Applications for the NELGA research fellowships may be submitted throughout the year. For this specialized call we invite you to apply before the 15th of June 2020. The fellowship will be awarded for August 2020.
Download Application proceedures in English or French for more details.
Call for applications for research fellowships under the “Network of Excellence for Land Governance in Africa (NELGA)†during the COVID-19 crisis.
The coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis has forced the world into action. The measures taken to contain the virus have impacted the whole of society, including the education sector, with research becoming more important than ever. To help investigating how COVID-19 and related measures potentially affect housing, land, and property rights in African countries, and to deliver high-quality research on the COVID 19 implications for land governance institutions and systems in the long-term, the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) offers support for special research fellowships under the “Network of Excellence for Land Governance in Africa (NELGA)” in the form of desk studies.
Applications for the NELGA research fellowships may be submitted throughout the year. For this specialized call we invite you to apply before the 15th of June 2020. The fellowship will be awarded for August 2020.
Download Application proceedures in English or French for more details.