The context of land and resource rights struggles in Africa

Africa’s poor are heavily dependent on land and natural resources for livelihood, but some governments continue to resist transferring full resource management rights to them. This risks the loss or degradation of these resources, or their transfer into private hands. The continent’s development challenges are compounded by many factors, including unequal social, economic and political relations, the legacy of colonialism, globalisation, and collusive neo-liberal policy which favours capital and powerful elites. In addition, the voice of Africans in the debates which shape important processes at global, continental and national levels are seldom heard. The Pan-African Programme on Land and Resource Rights (PAPLRR) is a civil society initiative which sets out to address these issues

Securing land and resource rights in Africa: Pan-African perspectives

Across the African continent the land and resource rights of the rural poor are threatened by inappropriate policies and institutions (including global treaties); unequal social, political and economic relations; the actions of powerful vested interests (wealthy national or local elites, international aid organisations, multinational corporations); and the weakness of grassroots organisations. It is against this background that the Pan-African Programme on Land and Resource Rights (PAPLRR) Network’s initiative to analyse, understand and engage with these issues was conceptualised by four African centres of excellence that subsequently developed the programme in 2001

Common property resources and privatisation trends in Southern Africa

Access to common property resources (CPRs) is a significant part of the land resource base and therefore the livelihoods of many poor rural people. However, despite their central importance, CPRs are declining throughout the world due to neglect, under- investment, expropriation and mismanagement. Other factors contributing to this phenomenon include inappropriate policies and weak community institutions; the actions of powerful and influential elites; unequal socio-economic and political relations; and the impacts of globalisation. Over-exploitation of CPRs, through unsustainable harvesting, and privatisation of CPRs through legal processes or illegal seizures, are commonplace. Both have major environmental and livelihood consequences. The decline of CPRs is accompanied by rising poverty among the poor people most dependent on them

Multilateral environmental agreements and land and resource rights in Africa

Many African countries are signatories to a number of international and regional environmental treaties. These include the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), the World Heritage Convention, the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the African Convention on the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources. Governments should meet their legal obligations under these treaties in such a way that the land and resource rights of the poor in their countries are not compromised

Community conservancies in Namibia: An effective institutional model for commons management?

Common property resources (CPRs) remain of great significance for livelihoods among rural and poor communities of the world. CPRs are particularly important because in many contexts they remain resources of last resort since they provide grazing, timber, wood fuel, thatching, fruits and other products for domestic use and income generation. Access to collectively-managed resources is important for poor rural households and yet many governments continue to pursue policies that undermine the livelihoods of those most dependent on CPRs by privatising them or entrenching monopoly and state control over them. Community-based natural resource management (CBNRM) policies have been developed and implemented in a number of southern African countries, including Zimbabwe, Zambia, Mozambique, South Africa and Namibia. The experience of Namibia provides important lessons for how to implement policies which provide tangible benefits for rural communities living on communal land

Civil society and social movements: Advocacy for land and resource rights in Africa

Civil society formations in Africa have historically played an important part in the establishment of organising people in the pursuit of common goals. The majority of Africa’s people reside in rural areas where they derive their livelihoods from land, and for this majority secure access to land is the foundation of any efforts to alleviate poverty. Land reforms in Africa are at various stages of development in a number of countries, partly in response to pressures for liberalisation and privatisation from the World Bank and other like-minded institutions. Civil society organisations have played an important role in the development of progressive policies in some countries. The lessons learnt from those countries must be applied in continuing advocacy for reforms which increase access among the poor to land and resource rights

Nepad, land and resource rights

The New Partnership for Africa’s Development (Nepad) is an overarching programme for revitalising Africa’s fortunes. It has a visionary tone, yet the way that it proposes to overcome Africa’s underdevelopment uncritically adopts neo-liberal policy prescriptions that have repeatedly been shown not to work in Africa. Because it has been designed around promoting international foreign investment and attracting Western donors, Nepad may not address the real needs of the African rural poor or deal with the core problems hindering Africa’s development. By supporting the interests of multinational corporations, Nepad risks opening the continent up to further exploitation and degradation. Other problems that have been identified include the lack of civil society participation in its formulation. In spite of all of the problems associated with the programme, it is incumbent upon civil society to engage with Nepad and influence its development and ensure that land and resource rights for the poor are enhanced

Land and agrarian reform in integrated development plans (IDPs)

This research study were conducted in late 2004 and the fi ndings presented to the Department of Provincial and Local Government (DPLG) and shared with the Department of Land Affairs (DLA) in 2005. Since then, some of its recommendations have been incorporated into new directions in land policy. At the National Land Summit in July 2005, the government acknowledged that land reform is not on track and that ‘a new trajectory’ would be needed in order not only to improve the pace of land reform but also to move away from an ad hoc approach to land reform. The policy position paper tabled at the summit by the Ministry of Agriculture and Land Affairs drew directly on this PLAAS research study, endorsing its recommendations and calling for a review of the guidelines for integrated development plans (IDPs) and the piloting of new systems and procedures (MALA 2005a:90)

A qualitative exploration of factors influencing non-use of sexual reproductive health services among university students in South Africa

: (1) Background: There is growing concern in South Africa about risky sexual behaviour, sexual transmitted infections (STIs), and unplanned pregnancy among young people. Many sexually active students engage in several risky behaviours, including sex with multiple sexual partners, low condom use, and low contraceptive use. This paper qualitatively explores factors influencing non-use of sexual reproductive health services by students at Mangosuthu University of Technology in South Africa (MUT). (2) Methods: Data was collected through 20 in-depth interviews with MUT students and subjected to inductive thematic analysis. Informed consent was obtained before all data collection. (3) Results: The main themes identified were risky sexual behaviours translating to multiple intimate partners, perceived quality of condom use, perceived benefits of contraceptives, negotiating safer sex with partners, developing a greater sense of autonomy, alcohol and drug abuse, perceived benefits of health education provided by the MUT, and lack of open communication. (4) Conclusions: The findings suggest that university students need multi-faceted interventions designed to address challenges with risky sexual behaviours including knowledge and benefits of condom and contraceptive use to prevent STIs and unwanted pregnancies, as well as providing psychosocial interventions to support these students’ autonomy

Securing land and resource rights in Africa: Pan-African perspectives

Across the African continent the land and resource rights of the rural poor are threatened by inappropriate policies and institutions (including global treaties); unequal social, political and economic relations; the actions of powerful vested interests (wealthy national or local elites, international aid organisations, multinational corporations); and the weakness of grassroots organisations. It is against this background that the Pan-African Programme on Land and Resource Rights (PAPLRR) Network’s initiative to analyse, understand and engage with these issues was conceptualised by four African centres of excellence that subsequently developed the programme in 2001. The unique contributions Africa can make are seldom taken seriously in international natural resource policymaking debates. One reason could be that the African voice on land and resource rights is perhaps not as strong in international forums as it should be. By coming together in forums such as PAPLRR, Africans are able to share their concerns and develop capacity to articulate their opinions and influence outcomes in the international arena. Defining an agenda for advocacy and strategic engagement with governments, and building links across divides between scholars, practitioners and advocacy groups, is an emphasis of PAPLRR into the future. A key focus of the programme is the role of land and resource rights in the struggle against poverty, exploitation and oppression as well as their contribution in solving real world problems of African people, not as academic objects to be studied, but as key components of the struggle