From 15-17 November, the members of the ILC Africa platform gathered together for the annual ILC Africa Assembly of Members in Lome, Togo. Organized by LandNet West Africa, under the theme of “Bringing land tenure issues into the development agenda: the role of civil society, the event provided a forum for members to review progress made over the past year and to jointly develop a regional work plan and budget for 2011.
The meeting was officially opened by the Minister of Agriculture of Togo, His Excellency Kossi Messan Ewovor, who emphasized the pressing need to secure the land rights of farmers, including women, and noted that 70% of jobs in Africa are agriculturally based. The Minister also called for a strengthened role for civil society in the implementation of the Africa Land Policy Framework and Guidelines (ALPFG).
During the assembly, excellent progress was made toward strengthening two projects aimed at raising awareness of the ALPFG and supporting CSO advocacy efforts around its implementation. Firstly, updates were provided on the development of a national scorecard system for assessing the extent of implementation of the ALPFG on the national level – a regional project coordinated by the Rwanda Initiative for Sustainable Development (RISD). Members then collaborated on the project design, formed a Project Steering Committee, and set out steps to guide implementation in pilot countries in 2011. Secondly, Landnet West Africa presented a project aimed at raising awareness of the ALPFG and making it more accessible by producing and disseminating a simplified version of the guidelines, translating it into local languages, and supporting it through radio programs and other means.
The Assembly also provided an opportune space for discussing regional priorities and their integration into ILC’s annual and strategic planning processes. Discussions resulted in feedback both on the new ILC Strategic Framework, and in the formulation of a regional action plan and budget for 2011.
To help facilitate implementation of the work plan and enhance the flow of information within and beyond the Coalition, the decision was made to strengthen coordination and communications at the sub-regional level. Hence, members voted to elect focal point organizations for the four sub-regions: Rwanda Initiative for Sustainable Development (East Africa), MBOSCUDA from Cameroon (Central Africa), Land Net Malawi (South Africa), and Land Net West Africa (West Africa). Sub-regional communications officers will also be mobilized to enhance information sharing among and between members, and with the regional node and Secretariat.
Members also strongly recommended that a permanent hosting arrangement for the regional node, which has been hosted by RISD on an interim basis for most of 2010, must be put in place effective from January 2011.
To improve the understanding of ILC work in Africa, and to encourage new members who may be interested in joining the Coalition, non-ILC members were invited to participate in the meeting, particularly from West Africa. This decision was appreciated by members.