Land policy in Africa : Eastern African regional assessment

Abstract

The African Union Commission (AUC) and African Heads of State and Government are committed to providing a conducive environment for economic growth, poverty reduction and equitable sustainable development. In this context, the quality of governance of land and natural resources is an important factor. Accordingly, better performance of land policies and institutions is required to deliver development goals. Given the importance of land to economic and social development and to ensuring peace and security, the majority of African governments have embarked on land policy and institutional reforms to address land issues in the context of national development. The key issues that need to be addressed in this context are: securing land rights to improve livelihoods and facilitate economic development; the centrality of urban land delivery and urban land development; natural resource access and sustaining common property resources; property rights and environmental sustainability; equitable land distribution and restoring alienated land; land and gender issues; and land and conflict. The report recognizes that the Eastern Africa region is vast and therefore may be difficult to contextualize. It has the smallest country on the continent (Seychelles, 455 sq km) and the biggest (Sudan, 2.5 million sq km). There are 14 countries in the region displaying a diversity of colonial legacy, ecosystems, cultures, tenure systems and a complex and dynamic history. This is reflected in the variety of land policy strategies and land administration and management systems. In spite of this complexity and diversity, this report attempts to extract the commonalities that are reflective of the experience of the region as a whole, without in any way trying to diminish the realities associated with individual countries.