Role and Recognition of Land Governance in GIZ Projects in Africa — Counterpart Strategies and Investment Plans

Comprehensive results of a survey on land governance in Africa conducted by the PPARD working group

Secure land and tenure rights are important framework conditions for more sustainable development efforts of African partner countries. Yet, they are often addressed insufficiently in technical cooperation.

To get an idea of the extent to which land-related development in GIZ-implemented projects in Africa is affected, the global projects Strengthening Capacities on Land Governance in Africa (SLGA) and Responsible Land Policy as well as the SNRD Africa working group Policy Processes in Agricultural and Rural Development (PPARD) conducted a stocktaking survey of the current recognition and relevance of land rights and land governance in programs implemented by GIZ in Africa.

The study has come to the conclusion that unclear land rights constitute a main stumbling block for many GIZ projects, having prevented them to reach their full potential. This reiterates findings of a meta-evaluation of rural development programs implemented by GIZ in 2015

Points assessed

The online survey with follow-up interviews was conducted between November 2017 and February 2018 with a total of 50 respondents from 48 projects in 23 countries. It assessed:

  • The study assessed the importance of land policy in country contexts where GIZ projects are active and the extent to which these programs address land policy and tenure issues

  • The study analyzed in how far GIZ projects could strategically incorporate land governance into their project design and implementation

  • The study recommends support measures GIZ projects need for their specific work environment

Findings

You can read more on the findings and the follow-up to the study in the article Issues With Land Governance Hinder Sustainable Development Efforts