Djibouti — Fifty-five high level representatives from the Djibouti government, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) Member States, the African Union Commission, civil society organizations, and the media witnessed the launch of the first regional project to support the implementation of the African Union Declaration on Land Issues and Challenges.
The project will be implemented jointly by the Land Policy Initiative (LPI) and IGAD with the support of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC)
Launching the project, H.E. Mohamed Moussa Ibrahim, the Minister of Housing, Urbanisation and Environment of the Republic of Djibouti, noted that it marked "an important step in efforts to address the numerous challenges related to land governance, which the IGAD region faces." The Minister further noted that the security of tenure in the IGAD countries is an essential element for the region's peaceful and sustainable development.
Representing the African Union Commission, Dr. Janet Edeme, on behalf of the Commissioner for Rural Economy and Agriculture Ms. Tumusiime Rhoda Peace, congratulated "partnering institutions for their efforts to design the project and be ready for its implementation". Dr. Edeme also emphasized that good land governance, in support of improved access to land and tenure security especially for marginalized groups, is critical in tackling low agricultural development, hunger, and poverty.
The representative of IGAD, Mr. Mohamed Moussa, Director of Agriculture and Environment Division, noted that "the importance of land cannot be over-emphasized. We are all directly linked to the land, and hence the need for prudent governance of this vast but inelastic resource." He also thanked the Government of Switzerland for its support to the project, and for engaging in a framework agreement for funding other IGAD programmes.
On behalf of the SDC, Mr Manuel Flury, Director for Cooperation, reiterated his organization's intention to strengthen the established institutional set ups, and facilitate collaboration and joint programmes. He also highlighted the need to further translate regional efforts into particular policies and programmes at national and local levels. "We are confident that with our support - provided through the LPI - a seed can be planted in fertile ground, germinate and produce "fruits" at national level," Mr Flury added.
The Land Policy Initiative is a joint programme of the tripartite consortium consisting of the African Union Commission (AUC), the African Development Bank (AfDB), and United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA). Its mandate is to facilitate the implementation of the AU Declaration on Land Issues and Challenges in Africa.
