Comment Investir Efficacement en Afrique?

This briefing note, prepared for a July 2011 seminar organized by the Pan-African Parliament and the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD), examines the surge of foreign investment in African agricultural land and water. It highlights the risks to local food security, gender equality, and environmental standards, while outlining the legal frameworks governing these deals and the critical oversight role that parliamentarians should play to ensure sustainable development.

• Foreign investment in African agricultural land and water has surged, driven by increasing demand for food and biofuels, as well as water scarcity. This trend was accelerated by the rise of biofuels after 2003 and the 2008 food and financial crises. The financial sector, including private equity and hedge funds, has actively pursued these opportunities.
• The scale of land transactions is vast, with a World Bank report estimating 45 million hectares in 2009 alone, while other sources estimate between 60 and 80 million hectares have been leased to investors. The primary target countries include Sudan (4 million hectares), Mozambique (2.7 million hectares), Liberia (1.6 million hectares), and Ethiopia (between 1.3 and 3.6 million hectares).
• Large-scale agricultural investments often occur in countries with weak land governance, leading to land transfers that ignore existing land rights and fail to generate expected employment. In Ethiopia, land designated as "unused" was found to be used for shifting agriculture and dry-season grazing. In Mozambique, 20% of foreign investment projects saw land titles (DUATS) granted to both local communities and investors simultaneously.
• These investments frequently have negative gender impacts, as women often lose access to essential forest and water resources and are rarely consulted in decision-making processes, which typically assume land rights belong only to men. Additionally, a "culture of secrecy" prevails, with communities and parliamentarians often informed of transactions only after they are concluded.
• Environmental impact assessments (EIAs) are frequently neglected despite national laws. In Ethiopia, the World Bank and Oakland Institute found that not a single project had undergone an EIA. In Zambia, only 15% of projects in the country inventory were recorded as having an EIA, whereas in Nigeria, approximately 85% had performed these assessments.
• Investment is governed by three legal sources: domestic law, host government contracts, and international investment treaties (such as bilateral investment treaties). The latter two often prioritize investor protection and commercial interests over local socio-economic needs, environmental dimensions, or the state's right to regulate in the public interest.
• Parliamentarians are urged to demand transparency and access to investment contracts to monitor land area, lease duration, water rights, and investor obligations. Some countries are taking steps to improve this; for example, Liberia publishes mining, agriculture, and forestry contracts via its Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative.

APA

Smaller, C. (2011). Comment Investir Efficacement en Afrique? International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/making_investment_work_africa_fr.pdf

Chicago

Smaller, Carin. Comment Investir Efficacement en Afrique? International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2011. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/making_investment_work_africa_fr.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Smaller |first1=Carin |title=Comment Investir Efficacement en Afrique? |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=September 2011 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/making_investment_work_africa_fr.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{smaller2011comment, author = {Smaller, Carin}, title = {{Comment Investir Efficacement en Afrique?}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2011}, month = sep, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/making_investment_work_africa_fr.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }