The Land Policy Initiative (LPI) Consortium comprises the African Development Bank (AfDB), African Union Commission (AUC) and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA). The LPI Secretariat spearheads stakeholder dialogue on land policy issues in Africa. Recent discussions have focused on the implications of the trend of increasing demand of farmlands across the continent by both foreign and local investors and on the need to explore and reach agreement and consensus on appropriate and concrete actions on how to address the issue of land based investments in the continent in an environmentally and socially responsible manner.
To this effect, the LPI will convene a High Level Forum on Land-Based Foreign Direct Investments in Africa, to be held in Lusaka, Zambia from 4 to 5 October, 2011. The Forum will bring together a diversity of multi-disciplinary expertise from the continent and beyond, including experts from government agencies, regional economic communities, civil society organizations, private sector; traditional chiefs; eminent African personalities including former African Heads of State and Government; Parliamentarians, African Ministers in charge of Land Administration and Development Partners. Over 150 participants are expected.
The main objectives of the conference are to exchange experiences on Foreign Direct Investment in land ('land grab') in Africa and to propose specific interventions to expedite the implementation of the AU joint framework and guidelines on land policy. For the Bank, the Forum will also enable us to better define the Bank's position on the land grab issue and also enable us identify potential pilot investment and knowledge management operations that can be supported by the Bank.
The event will be organised over two days with an Experts meeting on Day 1 followed by the Ministerial segment on Day 2. The experts meeting will serve to amplify the voice of African stakeholders and prepare concrete recommendations to be submitted to African policy makers. This day will be structured in plenary sessions and parallel sessions/side events. During the Plenary session, the presentations and discussions will cover the following topics:
What do we know today on Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in land in Africa?;
The Zambia case study on FDI in land;
A Study on best practices related to FDI in land;
A Feasibility study on a fund to support national land policy initiatives;
A Presentation of the Africa Legal Support Facility;
A presentation of the FAO Voluntary Guidelines on Land Tenure;
A presentation on Women Land Rights and FDI in land by Oxfam UK
Parallel sessions and side events will follow for Experts, Farmers organisations, other CSO (including women organisations) and the private sector to discuss the implications of the above-cited presentations for the respective stakeholders. Simultaneously, a site visit is planned to a current land deal scheme in Zambia will be organised for Ministers only.
The Ministerial segment on Day 2 will include:
a presentation of experts recommendation;
brief Messages from selected stakeholders;
interventions of Ministers;
presentation of the "Lusaka Action Plan" on FDI in Land in Africa.
