Together with UN’s Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) and the African Development Bank (AfDB), the African Union (AU) created the Framework and Guidelines on Land Policy in Africa (F&G) to help strengthen land rights, improve agricultural productivity and secure livelihoods across the continent. The F&G, which were approved and adopted in 2009, recognize the central role that land plays in the development process and makes recommendations to national governments to help create and implement improved land policies and land legislation that will enhance tenure security for women and men. It also is designed to engage development partners and donors as they mobilize resources and build capacity to support of land policy development and implementation.
The historical, political and socioeconomic context of land issues is important in all regions and the F&G discusses this in the case of Africa, where land relations remain complex and, in many places, contentious. The F&G helps to create a shared vision for stakeholders of how a comprehensive and coordinated land policy would support country-level development. It encourages African governments to address concerns related to the status of land administration systems, land rights delivery systems and land governance structures and institutions. It also encourages governments to ensure adequate budgets to support the development or adjustment of needed land policies and implementation efforts. It analyses the difficulties likely to be met and conditions necessary for the effective implementation of such policies. Finally, it makes recommendations on how countries may track progress in the development and implementation of those policies. It also makes recommendations related to monitoring progress on these issues.