Good land governance essential for implementation of AfCFTA

Good land governance is essential for the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement, said Land leaders and experts partaking in the 5th Conference on Land Policy in Africa (CLPA), held on November 21-24 in Addis Ababa (Ethiopia). Land governance and the regulation of access to and use of land can speed up the implementation of the AfCFTA by contributing to the production of goods, unlocking agricultural potential and strengthening gender equality, as well as balanced territorial development, they added. Strong land governance systems are crucial for facilitating the participation of youth, women, communities and the private sector in benefiting from the AfCFTA and digitisation, said Robert Lisinge, Chief of Energy, Infrastructure and Services Section, Private Sector Development and Finance Division at the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA). The other participants further inidcated that good land governance helps secure access to land and creates an inves tment-friendly environment, which is vital for unlocking Africa's productive capacity. African governments must respect land policies and good land governance so as to support infrastructure, renewable energy and all factors necessary for industry and trade on the African continent. Several African leaders agreed that the effective implementation of AfCFTA by 2045 calls for additional investment in factories, roads and infrastructure, so as to boost trade, hence, promote sustainable and inclusive development and environmental management in Africa. The participants further indicated that inclusive digital technologies can support land and trade policy-making processes through evidence-based decision-making. These technologies also help identify opportunities for reforms, job creation, climate change mitigation and adaptation, and food needs. The AfCFTA has the potential to free 30 million people from extreme poverty, increase Africa's income by US$450 billion, while connecting 1.3 billion people, the exper ts added. It also offers great digitisation potential that the continent's youth could use in the agricultural and agro-industrial sectors. This potential is estimated at US$1,000 billion by 2030. The payoff is immediate as most young Africans (40-60% of them) are already involved in agriculture and agribusiness. Integration of women's land rights into AfCFTA, essential for sustainable development in Africa Some experts see the integration of women's land rights into the AfCFTA as an important opportunity to promote gender equality, achieve women's economic empowerment and foster sustainable development in Africa. In this respect, they pointed out that the AfCFTA can create a conducive environment for women entrepreneurs, facilitate their participation in cross-border trade and contribute to poverty reduction and inclusive growth in a bid to address the unique challenges women face in accessing and owning land. Taking the floor, Sandra Bhatasara from the University of Zimbabwe's Socioloy Department, said efforts must focus on mainstreaming gender in all aspects of the implementation of the AfCFTA. As such, ensuring gender equality in trade negotiations, establishing gender-sensitive monitoring and evaluation mechanisms, and conducting gender impact assessments of trade policies so a s to identify potential risks and opportunities for women are among the priorities in this field, she added. The Africa's Agenda 2063 called on governments to fully empower women in all fields by granting them equal social, political and economic rights, including the right to own and inherit property, to enter into contracts and to register and manage businesses. The African Union (AU) had launched in 2016 a campaign to allocate 30% of land to African women by 2025 for Africa's economic transformation. The CLPA is organised by the African Land Policy Centre, a joint initiative of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), the African Union Commission (AUC), and the African Development Bank, under the theme of "P romoting Sustainable Land Governance in Africa for Accelerating Implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area agreement (AfCFTA)." It provides a platform for strong and constructive dialogue between governments, academia, research and private sector experts. It aims mainly to improve networking, partnerships and resources in the governance and land policy field in Africa. Source: EN - Agence Tunis Afrique Presse