2023 Conference on Land Policy in Africa

Deadline: 29-Jul-23

Apply now for the 2023 Conference on Land Policy in Africa (CLPA), organised biennially by the African Land Policy Centre (ALPC), a joint initiative of the African Union Commission, the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, and the African Development Bank.

From November 21 to 24, 2023 the tripartite consortium consisting of the African Union Commission (AUC), the African Development Bank (AfDB) and United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) will be holding the Fifth Conference on Land Policy in Africa (CLPA) in the context of the ‘Year of AfCFTA: Acceleration of the African Continental Free Trade Area Implementation’, which is the AU Theme of the year.

Overall Objective

• The overall objective of the Conference is to deepen commitment and strengthen capacity for land policy development, implementation and monitoring in Africa through improved access to knowledge and information in support of evidence-based land policymaking.

Specific Objectives

• The specific objectives of the Conference are to:
  • Share and exchange knowledge and best practices on issues related to land tenure security, especially for women and vulnerable groups in customary jurisdictions; options/modalities for transparent, accountable and sustainable land-based management and investments; addressing land-related conflicts; among others; enhancing capacity development for land governance etc;
  • Showcase information, communication and land administration technologies and innovations to enhance land governance and administration; Provide a platform for networking among researchers, policy makers and other stakeholders with a view to improving the quality and quantity of research to address African specificities and emerging issues in land governance;
  • Provide a space for informed policy dialogue among stakeholders on policy options to enhance land governance, strengthen access to land by all land users and recognize the customary based land rights of African communities;
  • Popularize the AU Land Governance Strategy as well as other frameworks on land in Africa; and,
  • Provide an opportunity for advocacy and resource mobilization in support of national and regional land policy initiatives geared towards enhanced land governance in Africa.

The 2023 Conference Theme

• In line with the 2023 AU theme of the year, the theme for the 2023 Conference on Land Policy in Africa is Promoting Sustainable Land Governance in Africa for Accelerated Implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area.
• The adoption as theme of the year is expected to generate greater political commitment and accelerate the effective implementation of the AfCFTA to fully benefit the African citizenry and achieve the aspirations and goals of Agenda 2063. The yearlong activities will enhance the existing collaboration among the Member States, the Regional Economic Communities (RECs), AU institutions, the private sector, development partners, and other stakeholders, to mobilize and implement actions that boost intra-Africa trade, particularly trade in value-added production and trade across all sectors of Africa’s economy. Land is one of the key resources and enablers in the implementation of the AfCFTA and produces a significant percentage of the agricultural commodities that are envisioned to be traded. It is also a source of Africa’s mineral wealth and other commodities. In addition, manufacturing processes take place on land.
• Core sub-themes:
  • Best practices in developing responsive, responsible land policies for improved cross-border trade in Africa
  • Inclusive and transparent land governance practices and building effective land administration institutions
  • Monitoring and evaluation of land governance
• Cross – cutting: Youth, Indigenous people, gender, water, climate change, food, cross-border trade
• Sub-Themes
  • Inclusive land governance for enhanced intra- Africa trade, food security and sustainable food systems
  • Regional integration, migration, intra-Africa trade and land use and sustainability
  • Innovative geospatial data, and digitalization technologies, including block chain, for land administration and trade in Africa
  • Implementation of the AfCFTA: Breaking investment and trade – land related barriers for inclusion of African women, pastoralists and youth
  • Best practices in documenting customary and statutory land access, control and ownership in Africa
  • Spatial planning, infrastructure, and transport planning for improved trade in Africa
  • The confluence of the environment, (including climate change) agriculture and cross-border trade in the context of AfCFTA.

Expected Outcomes and Outputs

• Improved knowledge in support of evidence-based land policy development, implementation and monitoring in Africa;
• Enhanced and deepened consensus amongst African policymakers and stakeholders on promising avenues for addressing land governance challenges; and,
• Improved networking, partnerships and resources for inclusive land governance and land policy in Africa.
• Key out puts of the CLPA include conference papers, documentation of progress inland policy in Africa, web articles, conference report, press releases, conference proceedings and a special issue of the “Journal of African Land Policy and Geospatial Sciences.

Details: The CLPA is usually held in November every two years. The forthcoming edition of the Conference on Land Policy in Africa will take place from 21 to 24 November 2023 at AU Headquarters, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

For more information, visit CLPA.