The Framework and Guidelines on Land Policy in Africa endorsed through the adoption of the African Union Declaration on Land Issues and Challenges by the African Heads of States in 2009 is having “a strong gender component which aims at “strengthening security of land tenure for women which require special attention” and “ensuring that land laws provide for equitable access to land and related resources”.

National Land Coalitions (NLCs) work towards the recognition, defence, protection and redistribution of land rights at national level. They build upon frameworks on land tenure developed and agreed by different regional and intergovernmental institutions. Platforms are at the heart of protecting and preserving community and customary lands which constitute the major category of landholding in Africa.

ABSTRACT Amuru district in northern Uganda has had intense land rights violations over the past fourteen years. There have been large scale land investments for commercial agriculture and other activities with limited community engagement, In many families men have sold off family land to ‘investors’ without consultation of their wives.

context and backgroundDespite the robustness of various land instruments and legal and institutional regulations on various sectors, Tanzania’s land distribution-related policy implementation and practice is facing numerous challenges. Tanzania is not only experiencing poor land conditions, but also poor land management and ineffective policy implementation. Areas of concern includes public policy actions on land conflicts; settlements and housing problems; and conflicting demand for land for mining, large scale agriculture, conservation, tourism, ranching and pastoral nomadism.

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 To benefit from the underutilised potential of urban land resources, the introduction and improvement of land registration and cadastral systems have been advocated. However, evidence from empirical research in a number of developing economies including those in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) continues to show mixed or inconclusive outcomes from the implementation and operations of such systems.

Land in Ethiopia is held by the state and the people; while landholders guaranteed a lifetime ‘holding’ right (any right except sell and mortgage per se). Women have equal rights to men in the formal legal system, despite, in pastoral areas, women’s land rights are highly influenced by religious and customary systems: rights are meaningless unless they are socially recognized and effectively enforced. Studies on women’s land rights comparing between formal and customary land laws are rare.

Context and backgroundIn 2017 Mali developed a law recognizing the customary land rights of local populations called the "Loi sur le Foncier Agricole" (LFA, Farmland Land Law). This law was celebrated by rural populations, particularly farmers, who saw their family farms protected from state monopolization through incorporation into the private real estate domain of the state by means of registration. It was in this euphoria that the Land Law (LDF) was passed in 2020 by ordinance.

Context and background Land grabbing has been in the news in Africa in recent years. Fertile land is increasingly falling into the hands of national or international private investors. Farmers with rudimentary means, youth, women, indigenous people, and pastoralists are the actors most affected by large-scale land grabs. Fertile land is becoming increasingly scarce and the public authorities do not seem to be determined to put in place safeguards to regulate this situation.

Context and backgroundIn Senegal, the rise in land disputes leads to questions about the place of the administration judge in the protection of the land rights of citizens. Indeed, most of the conflicts that arise either between farmers and herders, or between populations and private investors, are often resolved through alternative methods, namely conciliation or land mediation. Some conclude that there is a “preponderance” of alternative modes of resolving land disputes over jurisdictional modes.

Women make essential contributions to agriculture by playing a large role in food crop production. They require land as source of rural livelihood and monetary strengthening through land right security. Women’s ownership of land and property can be potentially transformative, not only as a store of value, but also as a means of acquiring other assets and engaging in a range of markets. However, women have lower access to productive resources (land and capital) compared to their male counterparts.

Context and background:Land is a source of wealth in terms of the economic and socio-cultural value it represents. Land resources are the basis of any economic activity or development project, which is why they are at the centre of multiple covetousness. However, social exclusion leads to numerous land conflicts observed in Cameroon.Goal and objectives:This study therefore aims to show how social exclusion can cause and sustain land disputes in Cameroon.