3 October 2017: The launch of the African Land Policy Centre (ALPC) marks the institutionalization of an 11-year programme of work developed by the Land Policy Initiative (LPI), a tripartite initiative of the African Union (AU) Commission, the UN Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), and the African Development Bank. Welcoming the new regional institution, Josefa Sacko, AU Commissioner for Rural Economy and Agriculture, reiterated African ministers’ call for the ALPC “to be stronger in capacity and reach than the LPI, in order to support member States to domesticate AU Decisions in their efforts to develop land policies, reform institutions and build land information systems to improve the governance of land.”

The launch ceremony took place on the margins of the second meeting of the AU Specialized Technical Committee (STC) on Agriculture, Rural Development, Water and Environment, which convened from 2-6 October 2017, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The event addressed the theme, ‘Enhancing environmental and agricultural transformation to achieve food and nutrition security in advancing Agenda 2063.’

Stephen Karingi, ECA’s Director of Capacity Development said the ALPC’s launch marks an important milestone in the implementation of the 2009 AU Declaration on Land Issues and Challenges in Africa. The Declaration calls for the establishment of an appropriate institutional framework to provide coordination of follow-up activities and facilitate mutual learning by member States as they develop and review their land policies.

ECA’s Director of Capacity Development said the ALPC’s launch marks an important milestone in the implementation of the 2009 AU Declaration on Land Issues and Challenges in Africa.

ECA has hosted the LPI Secretariat since 2006, with a small core staff of experts charged with providing technical inputs on a number of regional land governance policies, as well as other activities aimed at building evidence and reaching consensus “towards improving land governance for economic and social transformation, improving environmental management and enhancing peace and security.” Between 2012 and 2013, the LPI Secretariat coordinated a consultative process that produced recommendations to establish the ALPC Centre. These were presented to the inaugural AU-STC in 2015.

Among other activities, the LPI envisages that the ALPC will support gender-disaggregated databases to track member States’ commitments, and monitor and evaluate land governance in Africa. This programme will build on experiences beyond the 12-country pilot project, ‘Monitoring and Evaluation of Land in Africa’ (MELA), which reviewed the implementation of the AU Declaration on Land Issues and Challenges.

The ALPC will also further the Network on Land Governance in Africa (NELGA), which works to strengthen the capacities of universities through to improve training, research and monitoring. The AU-STC endorsed the related LPI-developed policy document, titled ‘Guidelines for the Development Curricula on Land Governance in Africa,’ to support efforts towards improving the quality of land professionals to address Africa’s realities. The AU-STC meeting also reviewed other relevant strategic land governance goals and their linkages to ongoing agriculture, rural development, water and environment related initiatives under the framework of the current 10-year implementation plan of the AU’s Agenda 2063. [ECA Press Release] [AU Press Release] [SDG Knowledge Hub Story on Mainstreaming Gender in African Land Policy] [SDG Knowledge Hub Story on Launch of African Land Governance Projects] [SDG Knowledge Hub Story on NELGA Launch]