Séverin Nibitanga is the founder and director of LADEC ( www.ladec.bi ), a research center founded  in 2017 specializing in land governance and community development. He has a Masters degree in Environment International Law from the University of Limoges-France and holds a BA in Philosophy from the Grand Séminaire Saint Curé d'Ars (Bujumbura-Burundi). Séverin manages and implements studies organized by LADEC, including recent projects with World Bank, the Swiss Cooperation, UNDP and European Union on the extent to which women's land rights are taken into account in the land certification process, land certification, land disputes brought before basic courts, the level of women's involvement in decision-making structures, inventory of the implementation of the Land Policy Letter and prospects for optimizing the collection of property tax in urban communities. Prior to founding LADEC, Séverin worked for the International Fund for Agricultural Development as a land expert for two years and with the Swiss Cooperation for three years as a land project manager, involving the provision of technical and financial support to establish and operate municipal land services. These positions allowed for diverse experiences in decentralized land management and a familiarity with women's land tenure research.