The Political Economy of Land Governance in Africa
University 5 day online short course | 06 – 10 September 2021
Why this course?
Across Africa, the majority of both rural and urban residents have insecure tenure rights, either in law or in practice. They face the legacy of land dispossession, colonial legal codes, contested customary tenure systems, and growing pressure on land in the face of commercial investments. How can land rights and land governance in Africa be strengthened? To address these challenges requires building a highly-skilled cohort of land professionals and land policy makers. This short course will equip these leaders to resolve the land challenges facing the continent.
What is offered?
The Institute for Poverty, Land & Agrarian Studies (PLAAS) at the University of the Western Cape is hosting a short course on the Political Economy of Land Governance in Africa, in collaboration with the African Land Policy Centre (ALPC). The medium of instruction and assessment will be conducted in English.
When is offered?
The short course will be conducted online via the Zoom platform. Participants are
expected to be online for the entire duration of the 5 day short course 6 hours daily.
Please see the timetable below.
Three sessions per day:
GMT 8.00-10.00, 11.00-13.00, 14.00-16.00
GMT+1 09.00-11.00, 12.00-14.00, 15.00-17.00 (West African Time)
GMT+2 10.00-12.00, 13.00-15.00, 16.00-18.00 (Central African Time)
GMT+3 11.00-13.00, 14.00-16.00, 17.00-19.00 (East African Time)
When is offered What is the course content?
The key themes and concepts that will be covered in the short course will include:
- Pre-colonial and colonial histories of land rights in Africa
- Statutory versus customary land tenure in Africa
- Land policy and land law in Africa
- Land administration in rural and urban contexts in Africa
- Women’s land rights in Africa
- Natural resource access and management in Africa
- Large-scale land acquisitions, gender and class in Africa
- Land policy responses and African and global land policy guidelines
- Climate crisis and land governance
What funding is available?
The short course is funded by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), under the Network of Excellence in Land Governance in Africa (NELGA) project. Funding is available for 60 participants to attend the short course training online. Selected participants must ensure they have access to good internet infrastructure to attend the course.
How will participants be assessed?
As this is an endorsed course, participants will be assessed by means of a pre-contact assignment, a virtual field report, a country report on land governance, and a final submission of a learning portfolio.
Participants will receive either:
A Certificate of Attendance for those who attend at least 80% of the sessions and
participate in 50% of all in-session assignments, but do not complete the assessment
activities OR
A Certificate of Competence for those who attend 100% of the sessions and successfully complete all assessments.
Who can apply?
Applicants should hold an undergraduate degree and have at least 3-4 years of work experience. Applicants without a university degree may be considered, if they have at least 10-15 years of experience. Applicants should be conversant in, write and understand English.
How do I apply?
https://forms.gle/NQMNdJkX1waTdhG97
Kindly note only successful applicants will be contacted two weeks after the closing date.
Closing date: Friday, 6 August 2021
