African countries must act faster to purge corruption in the land sector by harnessing technology and innovation, according to African Development Bank Senior Vice President Charles Boamah.
Boamah, who was speaking to policymakers and stakeholders at a conference on Land Policy in Africa in the Ivorian capital, Abidjan, also called for the deployment of more financial and human resources to land policy development, \u2018especially in rural areas and among the most vulnerable, including women\u2019.
The biennial conference, organised by the Land Policy Centre, provides a central platform for African stakeholders to network and deepen their commitment to land policy development, implementation and monitoring, through access to knowledge and evidence-based policymaking.
This year\u2019s dialogue, hosted by the African Development Bank, ran under the theme, ‘Winning the Fight against corruption in the Land sector: Sustainable pathways for Africa\u2019s transformation’.
According to Transparency International, globally, one in five persons has paid a bribe for a land service. In Africa, every second, a client of a land administration service has paid a bribe.
\u201cThis corruption takes many forms – bribery or illicit land transactions is just one example,\u201d added Boamah.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cLand developers and speculators\nspecifically target countries with weak governance systems. Local powerful\nelites are also more likely to manipulate such systems to serve narrow ends not\nto benefit the public.\u201d
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\nThe African Development Bank is committed to working with its partners to\nimprove governance in land administration as part of efforts to boost\nagriculture production.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Two of its key initiatives- the Transformation of African Agricultural Technologies (TAAT), and Connect Africa, have demonstrated innovation in this area.
The TAAT programme has worked with 30 seed companies to produce 27,000 metric tonnes of drought-resistant maize seeds. By the end of 2018, more than 1.6 million farmers had planted these seeds.
The Connect Africa initiative – a US$55 billion global partnership to bridge major gaps in ICT infrastructure across the continent – is allowing farmers to use digital technology to access prices and services like mobile banking.
Ivorian Justice Minister Sansan Kambile called on African states to prioritise land tenure security as a development objective.
\u201cWithout land tenure security, and the various implications, no development can be sustainable,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt is a collective responsibility which\nwe must pursue to leave a worthy legacy for future generations.\u201d
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\nKambile said the Ivorian government is keen to see workable outcomes from the\nAbidjan meetings for adoption into its land administration system.
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\nIn her welcome remarks, Sacko Correia, Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural\nEconomy at the African Union Commission, noted that corruption in the land\nsector has undermined cohesiveness and led to conflicts on the continent.
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\n\u201cFor us to win the fight against corruption, we must ensure that land is\nequitably distributed and accessed by all, most especially by women, youth and\nother vulnerable groups,\u201d she said, noting that although women contribute\nsignificantly to agriculture production in Africa, they enjoy less rights to\nland.
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\nShe called on African governments to ensure that land management processes are\ntransparent, accountable, efficient and responsive to the new challenges of\nclimate change, natural disasters and environmental degradation.
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\nStephen Karingi, Director, Private Sector Development and Finance, United Nations\nEconomic Commission for Africa, said an effective land governance will help\nreduce cost of doing business in Africa and help contribute immensely to the\nAfrican Union\u2019s Agenda 2063 master plan for transforming Africa into the global\npowerhouse of the future.
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\nThis year\u2019s theme is aligned to the African Union\u2019s declaration of 2018 as\nAfrica\u2019s Anti-Corruption Year. The continental body identifies corruption as a\nkey factor hampering efforts to promote governance, socio-economic\ntransformation, peace and security.
\n
\n<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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