Report summary of Third International Youth and Land Governance Conference 2022 (CIGOFA 2022)

The opening of the third edition of the international conference on land governance for the benefit of young people in Africa (CIGOFA) was honored by the presence of a hundred physical participants and 500 virtual ones of various registered profiles. It was held on November 1st 4th, 2022, in Dakar, at Axil hotel. These four days of reflection around “Youth Access to Land for Peace and Security in Africa” brought together actors, experts, students and the private sector in the field of land from various parts of Africa.

On the initiative of YILAA, in collaboration with its partners: African Union, GIZ, UEMOA, NELGA, Gaston Berger University, ILC, CICODEV, CADASTA Foundation, Habitat for Humanity, LANDESA and IPAR, the conference is part of the promotion of access young people to the ground for the development of Africa. This international meeting falls within the framework of the principles of YILAA as a framework for the meeting, networking, information, exchange, experiences and development of the potential of young people for land governance that promotes development.

In Africa. This network aims to enhance the potential of young people for land governance, to create a synergy of action between youth associations to become an international network for the promotion and protection of the rights of young people and women;

This conference comes at the right time, given the climatic, demographic and, above all, security challenges that Africa faces today. In this environment with multiple challenges, adopting a good land policy on young people’s access to land is an essential element of good governance and peacekeeping.

It was then that these four days of activities were an opportunity to first identify a certain number of constraints to young people’s access to land before identifying some recommendations and possible proposals that could guarantee secure access to land for all, mainly for young people and women while contributing to peace and security.

Countries present: Benin, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Rwanda, Senegal, Chad, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, ground floor, Ethiopia, Ghana, Morocco, Burkina-Faso, and Malawi.

Participating Institutions: African Union, UEMOA, ILC, CICODEV, Habitat for Humanity, GIZ, NELGA, UGB, LANDESA, Ministry of Agriculture of Côte d’Ivoire, SAED, University of Bambeye, PMAF Benin, CNCR, Oxfam, RNFRS, DGID Senegal , JCI Senegal, LPAC Morocco, UN-Human Rights, YILAA focal points, Kenya Land Alliance, UNCCD, FATA, WENAKLABS, NRMC, ILDC, AU Peace Program, IGAD, Cadasta Foundation, Prindex; AUDA-NEPAD, AfDB, Land Bureau of Amhara Region in Ethiopia, Action for Community Development, Land Portal, SmartLandMap, Tanzania Natural Resource Forum, GIZ Cote d’Ivoire, Crystal Agro Business, CAADP Youth Network, Union pour l’Ema,cipation of the Indigenous Pygee woman, Oxfam Novib, UN-Habitat, Center for Environment and Development (CED).

INTERVIEWS

Launch of Youth and Land Multi-stakeholders Platform

To address concerns, a multi-stakeholder platform was launched. Indeed, after sessions with traditional authorities and on youth land data, the spotlight was on the launch of the “Youth and Land Multi-stakeholders Platform in Africa (YLMPA).”

The session, moderated by Marie Chantal Mukagashugi, Program officer of ILC, saw the participation of speakers who each defined the vision of the platform and the role of youth.

It is:

• -Dr. Cheikh Oumar Ba, Executive Director of IPAR-Senegal and member of the Regional Steering Committee of ILC, recalled, “Youth is not a status quo; it will necessarily pass”. Hence the need to push reflections on the exploitation of the earth for the good of all and especially for future generations;
• For its part, Audace Kubuimana, Regional Coordinator of ILC, Africa, highlighted the role of ILC in supporting resource mobilization and other technical aspects;
• As to Dr Janet Edeme, the African Union Commission’s Rural Economy Division referring to Agenda 2063. She spoke of the need to influence decisions, build the capacity of young people at the continental level to carry out advocacy, be active in data collection and rely on Nelga (Network Excellence for Land Governance in Africa), with whom the African Union is already collaborating. Dr Janet Edeme also stressed the importance of the union of young people as a guarantee of strength and prosperity for Africa.
• Dr. Tizai Mauto of Landesaconfirmed Landesa’s role in engaging in research.
• Innocent Antoine Houedji, Executive Director of YILAA for its part, defined the objectives of motivating and increasing the commitment of young people, building their capacities, strengthening political dialogue, promoting research, operationalizing youth organizations, promoting the platform, the youth leadership and mobilizing resources.

He defined the structure of the platform as follows:

• Facilitation by ILC,
• the Secretariat by YILAA
• Facilitation by Partners (donors and civil society organizations).
• -Dr. Judeon Yong, Chairman of the Steering Committee of the Youth Multi-Stakeholder Platform, focused on access to land by and for young people and the Vision of an Africa that manages land by and for its daughters and sons.

It is on this note that the platform was officially launched. This platform is a sign of hope for improving the conditions of young people’s access to land, especially since some of the concerns raised have already found a favourable echo in some countries, particularly in the area of ​​digitalization observed in Côte d’Ivoire. Ivoire, Benin and Cameroon.

INTERVIEWS FOR YLMPA

Recommendations

Given these constraints and their various causes, recommendations have been made:

• Strengthen the training of young people in the field of land;
• Those interested in undertaking areas related to land through awareness-raising and awareness-raising work in villages and neighborhoods but also within schools and universities;
• Adopt a bottom-up community approach by driving and encouraging initiatives at the local level through local land management committees;
• Facilitate young people’s ability to access land by supporting them in financing their land projects;
• Facilitate young people’s access to land information for greater transparency in land governance in Africa;
• Digitize the approaches and procedures for access to land to facilitate access to land for this connected youth;
• Eliminate customary barriers by creating a framework for direct and constructive dialogue between customary authorities and youth;
• Create a framework for bringing together the different actors around land reforms
• Implement positive discrimination policies in favor of young people and women through a quota system.
• Work to take into account the gender dimension based on the Maputo protocol, which stipulates in particular that women have the same rights to inheritance as men;
• Create a framework for dialogue “Youth – Land – Peace and Security” to prevent and resolve the issue of radicalism and illegal immigration by putting young people to work on the land through secure land and financing;
• Create a border zone to protect and prevent border conflicts for young people’s agricultural promotion.

Awards Night and Launch of Stand for her Land campaign in Senegal

Press Book

Author: LA REDACTION