In my role as Chair of the Board of the Land Portal Foundation, I recently had the opportunity to take part in two trainings to help me develop my leadership skills. The first was a 2-day Feminist Leadership ReTreat in Mechelen, Belgium, which I took part in alongside our Managing Director, Laura Meggiolaro, our Board Secretary, Laura Cunial, and seven other women leaders from different civil society organisations in Europe.

As I addressed the Fourth International Conference on Youth and Land Governance in Africa (CIGOFA4), I reflected on the critical issue of youth and land access in Africa, which remains a significant barrier to sustainable development. Land is more than an economic asset; it is the foundation of our cultural heritage, our identity, and the key to our future. However, across sub-Saharan Africa, land access continues to pose challenges, especially for our youth. These challenges, if left unaddressed, will hinder Africa's growth.

As we gather to discuss one of the most crucial topics for Africa’s future—strategic land use planning—the importance of youth land rights cannot be overstated. Based on my reflections and experiences that I prepared for the Fourth International Conference on Youth and Land Governance in Africa (CIGOFA4), I’d like to highlight why securing land rights for young Africans is essential for our continent’s progress.

Current global developments in the land and human rights spheres show a progressive shift to focus on previously ‘unpopular’ subjects like corruption. The most recent milestone in this regard was the adoption of a General Comment on land and economic, social, and cultural rights (E/C.12/GC/26) by the United Nations Committee on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights (UN CESCR) in December 2022.

The Land Dialogues nurture a community of trust with Indigenous peoples, local communities, and Afro-descendent peoples by producing webinars that bring unlikely voices and perspectives together.

Inclusive land governance at the local level allows for the community’s broader governance ‘muscle’ to be exercised in a constructive and practical way. This can reduce conflict and spark transformative social change.