• President Rodrigo Duterte has lifted a ban on issuing licenses for new mining operations in the Philippines, marking an about-face from a previous anti-mining stance that saw him ban open-pit mining in 2017 and close or suspend 26 mining operations for environmental violations.
• The government says the industry, which contributed 0.76% to the country’s GDP in 2020, is important in resuscitating an economy bogged down by the COVID-19 pandemic, by generating revenue and jobs and contributing to Duterte’s flagship infrastructure program.
• Duterte’s pi

19 May 2021 (GLOBAL) — The Land Portal and Open Data Charter are launching the Open Up Guide on Land Governance, the latest addition to a lauded series of practical guides for governments to address key policy changes. This launch comes as part of the Open Gov Week (OGW), an annual call-to-action to transform the way governments serve their citizens. 

To Float bid to secure concept design for the projects

The newly established Land Bank and Development Corporation announced its plans to issue expression of interest to secure a concept design for a project that will be developed to investment projects on landholdings of federal government offices.

The competition will be launched for the redevelopment of federal landholdings in Addis Ababa located along the “Bole–Entoto” and “Lagar–city hall” strip.

The restitution of ancestral land rights in Namibia has since independence divided opinions.

Some argue it is a fitting process in dealing with colonial era land dispossessions, while others are concerned about the complexity of implementing this kind of restitution.

Throughout human history, private property has been a subject of debates. In some societies and communities, private property has become a foundation of democracy and freedom. In some others, strict control over property and severe limitations imposed on property ownership and rights created a framework for reducing inequality and eliminating socio-economic disparities. In either case, private property and the right to own property raise not only economic but also moral dilemmas.

Hiber Sugar requested federal government intervention to resolve its dispute with the regional government of Amhara, which it accused of transferring its 6,183 hectare of land to unidentified investors and people relocated from other areas.  

Established a decade ago, Hiber has been at loggerheads with the region’s Rural Land Administration and Use Bureau for the last five years, after the Bureau revoked its license for its failure to clear the land and start operations on time.

The Ethiopian Horticulture Producer Exporters Association (EHPEA) called on the government to avail land and ease its bureaucratic hurdles to help local and international horticulture firms looking to invest in Ethiopia.

Speaking to The Reporter this week, Executive Director of EHPEA, Tewodros Zewdie lamented federal and regional authorities’ weaknesses to provide land and their extended bureaucratic systems, amid the enormous request which is coming from international and domestic horticulture firms to invest in different parts of the country.