“Land is a key production factor, and we cannot expect sustainable development without secure tenure of land and property,” said Audace Kubwimana, ILC Africa Regional Coordinator. “It is therefore important that we work together to ensure that the security of land and property, as stipulated in Agenda 2063, is attained. That is one of the key ambitions of the 2020 Forum.”

Through the African Union (AU), Africa has established a long-term vision of an integrated, prosperous and peaceful continent, driven by its citizens, representing a dynamic force in the international arena. In its Agenda 2063, a blueprint document adopted by Member States in 2013, the AU set an ambitious master plan for the transformation of Africa into the global pow-erhouse of the future in 50 years. It spells out the seven aspirations that will position Africa as a dominant player in the global arena.

Good land governance is undoubtedly critical in achieving Agenda 2063. It cuts across its aspi-rations and strategic goals. The implementation of AU’s Declaration on Land Issues and Chal-lenges at regional and national levels is therefore imperative for prosperity and sustainable development in Africa. In addition, processes such as the Framework and Guidelines on Land Policy in Africa, the Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests in Context of National Food Security (VGGT), and the Guiding Principles on Large Scale Land Based Investments in Africa (LSLBI) provide the continent with instru-ments to make land a key driver in achieving the Agenda 2063 aspirations. Across the continent, there are ongoing processes and initiatives towards mainstreaming land governance in the African Union (AU), and the Regional Economic Communities (RECs), which strengthen the capacities of Member States to undertake land reforms at national and com-munity levels and prioritise the allocation of resources to land policy development and imple-mentation.

These initiatives and processes, supported and driven via a multi-stakeholder ap-proach, create opportunities to connect, mobilise and influence the continent towards secure and equal land tenure, for a prosperous Africa. Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) and the International Land Coalition (ILC) are committed to ensuring the effective im-plementation of AU’s Agenda 2063 with effective land governance. Through initiatives such as the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD)’s Land Governance Project and the International Land Coalition (ILC)’s National Engagement Strategies and Commitment Based Initiatives, both institutions have been working to enforce people-centred land governance in the continent.

AU’s Declaration on Land Issues and Challenges give mandate to African Regional Economic Communities (RECs) to support the implementation of the Framework and Guidelines on Land Policy in Africa. Recently, RECS are beginning to integrate land governance in national and re-gional agendas via AU’s Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) and National Agriculture and Food Security Investment Plans (NAFSIPs).These efforts are critical and urgent in helping us to develop the Africa we want. They need to be strengthened, documented and encouraged through multi-stakeholder reflections, multi-disciplinary discourse and learning that enable a better implementation of the 2063 Agenda.

The 2020 Land Forum 15-17 September online event is set to assess the implementation of the land governance pillars of Agenda 2063 and chart innovative pathways to its full implementation.