Viabilização do Investimento em África: Uma Resposta parlamentar à desapropriação de terras

This report documents a seminar organized by the Pan-African Parliament in July 2011 to address the phenomenon of 'land grabbing' in Africa. It examines the drivers of foreign investment in arable land and water, the legal implications of such investments, and the resulting socio-economic impacts on local communities, particularly women. The document provides a set of recommendations for parliamentarians to improve transparency, reform land tenure, and ensure that investments align with national development strategies and human rights standards.

• A significant wave of foreign investment in African arable land and water was triggered in 2008 by rising biofuel demand, oil price increases in North America and Europe, and global food and financial crises. The World Bank reported that in 2009 alone, commercial land deals totaled 32 million hectares in Africa, with the largest leases occurring in Sudan (4 million), Mozambique (2.7 million), Liberia (1.6 million), and Ethiopia (between 1.3 and 3.6 million) hectares.
• Foreign investments often lead to the erosion of land rights and a lack of transparency. Many deals are signed for land already in use by local populations, and contracts are frequently negotiated in secret. In Tanzania, for example, parliamentarians have struggled to access contracts despite requests to the government.
• Investments in land and water disproportionately affect women in Sub-Saharan Africa, who generally have weaker property rights and are marginalized in decision-making forums. Women often depend heavily on public resources like forests and water, which are primary targets for investors, thereby threatening their role as primary food producers for subsistence.
• There is a significant gap between the promises made by investors and the actual benefits delivered to host countries. Promises regarding job creation, technology transfer, and infrastructure development are rarely fulfilled; in some cases, workers are replaced by machinery or cheap labor is imported from elsewhere.
• Legal frameworks for investment often prioritize investor interests over local social and environmental needs. Investment contracts and bilateral treaties can include 'stabilization clauses' that allow investors to avoid complying with new national laws, such as environmental regulations or minimum wage increases, and may provide mechanisms for investor-state arbitration that override national laws.
• The report identifies several positive practices and regional efforts. Liberia is highlighted as a leader in transparency, as its parliament ratifies and publishes all land lease contracts on the internet. In Togo, the government developed a code of conduct for the mining sector to improve investment quality.
• The Pan-African Parliament proposes a roadmap for parliamentarians to act as watchdogs and legislators. Key recommendations include pushing for the publication of contracts, ensuring 'free, prior and informed consent' from communities, and potentially implementing a moratorium on large-scale land acquisitions until adequate land governance frameworks are in place.

APA

International Institute for Sustainable Development (2011). Viabilização do Investimento em África: Uma Resposta parlamentar à desapropriação de terras. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/land_grabs_africa_pt.pdf

Chicago

International Institute for Sustainable Development. Viabilização do Investimento em África: Uma Resposta parlamentar à desapropriação de terras. 2011. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/land_grabs_africa_pt.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=International Institute for Sustainable Development |title=Viabilização do Investimento em África: Uma Resposta parlamentar à desapropriação de terras |date=October 2011 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/land_grabs_africa_pt.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{internationalinstituteforsustainabledevelopment2011viabilizao, author = {{International Institute for Sustainable Development}}, title = {{Viabilização do Investimento em África: Uma Resposta parlamentar à desapropriação de terras}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2011}, month = oct, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/land_grabs_africa_pt.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }