The African Development Bank, the African Union Commission, and the UN Economic Commission for Africa have all vowed to cooperate more closely with countries to improve land governance.
According to a statement from the bank, the organizations pledged financial and technical assistance in a joint declaration at the end of the 2021 Conference on Land Reform in Africa to ensure that land governance and policy processes in Africa are transparent, clear, and readily available and that state and indigenous systems are easily incorporated.
At this moment, when the globe is also engaged in the COP26 process, we wish to underline the reality that huge portions of our continent are deserts or semi-arid and are facing ecological harm, “said Leontine Kanziemo, the African Development Bank’s Advisor, Natural Resources Management.
However, unequal land distribution has forced an increasing number of smallholder farmers, women, and youth into marginal areas, resulting in increased demand for land and the degradation of land resources.
In order to increase access to natural resources, the declaration called for greater land fairness. Working with governments, artists, and cultural leaders to guarantee that women and youth have access to land is also critical, according to the report.
