Call for applications: Political Economy of Land Governance in Africa

Five-day university accredited online short course: 22 – 26 July 2024

Call for applications

Why this course?
Across Africa, the majority of both rural and urban residents have insecure tenure rights, either in law or in practice. They face the legacy of land dispossession, colonial legal codes, contested customary tenure systems, and growing pressure on land in the face of commercial investments. How can land rights and land governance in Africa be strengthened? To address these challenges requires building a highly-skilled cohort of land professionals and land policy makers. This short course will equip these leaders to resolve the land challenges facing the continent.

What is offered?
The Institute for Poverty, Land & Agrarian Studies (PLAAS), at the University of the Western Cape is hosting a short course on the Political Economy of Land Governance in Africa, in collaboration with the African Land Policy Centre (ALPC). The medium of instruction and assessment will be conducted in English.

When is it offered?
The short course will be conducted online via the Zoom platform. Participants are expected to be online for the duration of the course. Please see the timetable below.

Three sessions per day at:
Greenwich Mean Time (GMT)
8:00-10:00
10:30-12:30
13:00-15:00

West African Time (GMT+1)
09:00-11:00
11:30-13:30
14:00-16:00

Central African Time (GMT+2)
10:00-12:00
12:30-14:30
15:00-17:00

East African Time (GMT+3)
11:00-13:00
13:30-15:30
16:00-18:00

What is the course content?
The key themes and concepts that will be covered in the short course will include:

Pre-colonial and colonial histories of customary and statutory land tenure in Africa
Introduction to the political economy of land in Africa
Land reform law, policy and governance in Africa
Women’s land rights in Africa
Natural resource access and management in Africa
Political economy of extractive industries and land rights
Commodification of the commons in the transition to neo-liberalism
Urban and rural land administration in Africa
Large-scale land acquisitions in Africa
African and global land policy and policy guidelines
Climate crisis and land governance

What funding is available?
The short course is funded by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbelt (GIZ) GmbH, in partnership with the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), under the Network of Excellence in Land Governance in Africa (NELGA) project. No fees for selected participants to attend the short course training online. Selected participants must ensure they have access to good internet infrastructure to attend the course.

How will participants be assessed?
As this is an endorsed course, participants will be assessed by means of a pre-contact assignment, group assessment, and a final submission of an individual reflective report. Participants will receive either:

a Certificate of Competence for those who attend 100% of the sessions and successfully complete all the assessments; or
a Certificate of Attendance for those who attend at least 80% of the sessions and participate in 50% of all in-session assignments, but do not complete the assessment activities.

Who can apply?

Applicants should hold an undergraduate degree and have at least three to four years of work experience. Applicants without a university degree may be considered, if they have at least 10 to 15 years of experience. Applicants should be conversant in, write and understand English.

How do I apply?

To apply, please complete the online application form. You will be requested to upload:

a motivation why you are a good candidate and the relevance for your work (300 words); and
an essay on governance issues on land, natural resources, fisheries or forestry in the context in which you work (500 words).