Land Policy in East, Horn and Great Lakes Africa: Progress, Challenges and Key Partnerships

Editorial — Across East Africa, the Horn and the Great Lakes, land policy remains a linchpin for stability, equitable development and resilience against growing shocks.

The 2025 Conference on Land Policy in Africa will be held November 10-14, 2025, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and will focus on the theme of "Land Governance, Justice and Reparations for Africans and Descendants of People of the African Diaspora" (Photo: UNECA)

While progress is underway, deeply rooted challenges — conflict, displacement, climate stress and tenure insecurity — are testing governments and civil society.

Regional momentum is building, however, through coordinated frameworks, grassroots engagement, and international partnerships focused on securing land rights, resolving disputes and promoting sustainable management.

Status of Land Policy Formulation and Implementation

Land policy frameworks are being shaped at both national and regional levels. The African Union (AU) has established a “Framework and Guidelines on Land Policy in Africa,” supported by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa and the African Development Bank.

Together with regional bodies such as the East African Community, these instruments are designed to help member states craft policies, track progress and share lessons learned. The East African Community, for instance, has developed programmes on land policy and management to harmonise standards across borders and foster cooperation on cross-border land issues.

Despite these advances, implementation remains uneven. In much of the region, formal land governance systems cover limited populations, while customary and informal systems still dominate. This gap contributes to disputes and governance bottlenecks, prompting emphasis on making formal systems more accessible and affordable.

Some countries have advanced reforms more quickly. Rwanda, for example, launched its land-tenure regularisation programme in 2008 and scaled it nationwide, culminating in a 2019 National Land Policy. More than 11.4 million land parcels have since been registered.

In 2022 the country established a National Land Authority to oversee management, planning, registration and dispute resolution. Kenya, too, is reviewing its National Land Policy with specific attention to pastoralist and rangeland contexts. This is a critical move in its arid and semi-arid regions where competing claims and mobility of herders have long created tensions.

Why Land Policy Matters Now

The urgency of land reform is underscored by the humanitarian context. The region currently hosts some 5.7 million refugees and asylum seekers, alongside nearly 19 million internally displaced persons as of March 2025.

Displacement places extraordinary pressure on land availability, tenure security and public services, particularly in host communities already struggling with resource scarcity.

Political instability deepens these strains. Renewed wars in Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo, alongside insurgencies in Ethiopia and Somalia, continue to erode land governance systems and displace populations from their homes.

Climate change adds another layer of complexity. Droughts, land degradation and desertification are displacing rural populations, reducing productivity and heightening competition over scarce resources.

Without secure tenure and sustainable management, families risk losing not just their land but their livelihoods and resilience.

As a result, land policy sits at the intersection of peacebuilding, climate adaptation, social justice and economic growth. Secure land rights help enhance stability, safeguard livelihoods and strengthen communities’ ability to respond to crises.

Key Local, Regional and International Actors

A wide array of actors are engaged in this agenda, each contributing distinct roles. At the regional and continental level, the AU and its partners provide continental frameworks and peer-learning platforms. Their guidance has set the tone for member states to pursue reforms while encouraging harmonisation across borders.

Through its Framework and Guidelines on Land Policy in Africa, the African Union has positioned itself as a key convener — bringing governments, civil society and technical partners together to shape national reforms, strengthen tenure security, and foster cross-border cooperation. (Photo: UNECA)

National institutions are central to implementation. Rwanda’s National Land Authority represents state-led institutional reform in practice, while Kenya’s ongoing review illustrates government commitment to adapting land policy to the realities of pastoralist and semi-arid livelihoods.

Civil society has also carved out a vital space. The Rwanda Initiative for Sustainable Development (RISD) advocates for equitable access, particularly for women and vulnerable groups, and monitors how reforms play out on the ground.

Through its leadership of the LandNet Rwanda Chapter, RISD connects academia, policymakers and grassroots actors, ensuring local voices influence national strategies. Similar networks across the region have amplified the perspectives of communities often excluded from policy conversations.

International partners provide both technical and financial backing. The TerrAfrica partnership, supported by the AU, the World Bank, FAO and the European Commission, has channelled investments into sustainable land management through agroforestry, water conservation and crop diversification. Its efforts have helped countries such as Ethiopia and Rwanda deploy large-scale sustainable practices.

The Economics of Land Degradation (ELD) Initiative has supplied empirical evidence on the economic costs of land degradation and the benefits of restoration.

Through projects like Regreening Africa, which spans Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia and Rwanda, ELD has produced cost-benefit analyses that inform investments in land and natural resource management.

Collaborative Dynamics and Shared Efforts

What distinguishes the region’s progress is the growing sense of collaboration.

At the regional level, AU frameworks encourage dialogue among member states and provide a reference point for policy design. Peer-learning platforms ensure that countries facing similar challenges can share experiences and lessons.

Within Rwanda, civil society organisations such as RISD work closely with government to support dispute resolution, collect grassroots data and channel citizen perspectives into policy design. By bridging the gap between policy and practice, they strengthen accountability and implementation.

International initiatives complement these domestic efforts. TerrAfrica has brought large-scale financing and technical know-how, while ELD has furnished evidence that land restoration and sustainable practices are not only environmentally necessary but economically sound. These contributions provide national governments with tools to justify investments and persuade policymakers of the long-term returns.

Together, they create a layered architecture of support: local groups driving community-based solutions, national authorities enacting and enforcing frameworks, regional bodies harmonising standards, and international partners supplying expertise and resources.

Bridging the Gap

Land policy across East Africa, the Horn and the Great Lakes remains very much a work in progress, but it is gaining traction.

Frameworks are being consolidated, reforms are advancing, and partnerships are deepening. The challenges — conflict, mass displacement, climate shocks, tenure insecurity — are immense, yet they also reveal why land policy is so central to the region’s future.

Secure tenure is not a technical formality; it is a foundation for peace, resilience and sustainable development.

As Rwanda demonstrates with systematic reform, and as Kenya illustrates with its inclusive review, national governments are finding ways to adapt frameworks to their specific contexts.

With the AU setting standards, civil society ensuring inclusivity, and international partners offering technical and financial support, the region is moving toward a more coherent and effective land governance ecosystem.

In a part of the world beset by shocks, land policy offers not only a path to stability but also a bridge to a more equitable and resilient future.