Announcements
Land Portal Publishes New State of Land Information Report for Malawi
During the colonial era, data and information was largely treated as confidential in Malawi. According to Mambulasa (2016), many statutes in Malawi dating back to colonial times promote government secrecy and the withholding of public information. This has resulted in lingering land administration and management challenges. Land-related problems have been a constant feature of Malawian society, including the pre-colonial, colonial and post independence period starting in 1964.
The Land Portal Technical Advisory Group is composed of individuals with diverse expertise and a common inclination towards innovation and social change. This group has been crucial in providing guidance and on the ongoing operation, development and innovation of the Land Portal over the past decade.
We are seeking a Chief Technology Officer to lead the provision and ongoing development of the core Land Portal online presence, and to provide technical leadership in our work to create an open and inclusive information ecosystem for land.
The successful candidate will demonstrate a deep understanding of established and emerging technology, and translate this understanding into impact for the Land Portal Foundation.
17 February 2023 — The Land Portal Foundation has been selected by the European Union (EU) for a €1.6 million grant, a decision that underscores the organization’s vital role in the land governance sector. The funds will accelerate the Land Portal’s work to bring the land governance and open data communities together, fueled by its foundational belief that access to information is crucial for achieving good land governance.
Land Portal Events
The theme for this year’s International Women’s Day is “DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality”. The day aims to celebrate women and girls who are championing the advancement of transformative technology and digital education. It will also explore the impact of the digital gender gap on widening economic and social inequalities.
Organizers:
Land Portal Foundation
Ford Foundation
Thomson Reuters Foundation
The Tenure Facility
This webinar will discuss the implications of the Maledu judgment, the importance of recognizing and protecting informal land rights, the power of access to information and the positive outcomes tenure security can have for mining-affected communities. It will look at the impacts of the judgment for the community and explore how the community members have engaged with the mining company.
Organizers:
Land Portal Foundation
Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment
Namati
International Institute for Environment and Development
The webinar will: hear from donors about their experience and challenges in making grants more inclusive; give insights in measuring inclusiveness; and ask and discuss questions on how donors can use data-driven information to inform their decisions in financing land governance investments.
Organizers:
Land Portal Foundation
Both ENDS
The webinar will hear from funders about their experiences and challenges in making grants more inclusive; provide guidance on measuring inclusiveness; and ask and discuss questions about how funders can use data-driven information to inform their funding decisions for investments in land governance.
Insights
Western Africa
Sierra Leone
Global
Celebrating Women's International Day, we take a tour to Sierra Leone and put our lens on specific factors that affect women's perception of being insecured in their lands. This data story is based on fresh data from partner organisations Green Scenery, Resource Equity and the University of Groningen.
Tanzania
Zambia
Senegal
Laos
Global
A review of four recent articles about an underexplored issue: the reasons for large-scale land deals to fail and what that means for communities and society
Authors:
Mr. Charl-Thom Bayer
Ms. Laura Meggiolaro
- The links between the open data and land communities have matured over the last four years alongside a recognition of the centrality of land governance for sustainable development.
- Benchmarking and measuring open land data is a key area of progress since 2018, but more needs to be done to refine the global benchmarks such as the Global Data Barometer.
- Open data initiatives need to carefully consider their social, political, and economic objectives due to the different needs and interests of land data producers and users.
Interview with Tim Fella, departing chair and member of the Land Portal board of directors
The newsroom is designed to help visitors get the latest news from the Land Portal. We regularly release announcements and blogs with original insights into land governance, open data, and related issues. To discuss any news release below please contact hello@landportal.info and subscribe to our mailing list here.
New Work
Land Portal Publishes New State of Land Information Report for Malawi
During the colonial era, data and information was largely treated as confidential in Malawi. According to Mambulasa (2016), many statutes in Malawi dating back to colonial times promote government secrecy and the withholding of public information. This has resulted in lingering land administration and management challenges. Land-related problems have been a constant feature of Malawian society, including the pre-colonial, colonial and post independence period starting in 1964.
Western Africa
Sierra Leone
Global
Celebrating Women's International Day, we take a tour to Sierra Leone and put our lens on specific factors that affect women's perception of being insecured in their lands. This data story is based on fresh data from partner organisations Green Scenery, Resource Equity and the University of Groningen.
The Land Portal and Both Ends capped the popular Whose Land? webinar series with a final webinar on inclusive financing that drew over 300 participants on 2 March 2023. "Inclusive finance for land governance: A conversation with donors” featured donors from the Netherlands Enterprise Agency, Both ENDS, Global Fund for Community Foundations, and Tenure Facility, as well as a diversity, equity, and inclusion expert.
Along with GIZ and the National Agency for Spatial Planning, known as ANAT, in Senegal, we co-hosted a webinar, “Uncovering Land Data Opportunities in Senegal,” on 31 January 2023. The panel brought together open data and land governance experts to discuss the state of land information in Senegal – focusing on the findings from the SONI Senegal Report – and the way forward to a more inclusive, open and transparent land data ecosystem in Senegal.
