Space, Soil and Status: Insights from the APRM into the Governance of Land in Africa

This research paper examines land governance in Africa, highlighting the tension between formal statutory systems and customary informal arrangements, and argues that improving state capacity is essential for establishing productive land governance.

• Land tenure security in Africa is characterized by hybrid arrangements where formal statutory systems coexist with customary or informal systems. While formalization of land titles is often proposed to make land suitable as collateral for business and development, the current weaknesses of state systems make this an unlikely prospect.
• The author suggests that an interim solution to land governance challenges would be to adapt informal landholding systems to provide them with legal force. However, a full resolution requires addressing non-economic factors, including issues of citizenship, belonging, and the constraints on female landholding, which necessitate confronting certain traditional practices.
• Comprehensive resolution of land issues in Africa depends on improving the capacity of states to implement productive land governance systems, along with the necessary legal frameworks, agrarian support, and security apparatus.

APA

South African Institute of International Affairs (2016). Space, Soil and Status: Insights from the APRM into the Governance of Land in Africa. https://saiia.org.za/research/space-soil-and-status-insights-from-the-aprm-into-the-governance-of-land-in-africa/

Chicago

South African Institute of International Affairs. Space, Soil and Status: Insights from the APRM into the Governance of Land in Africa. 2016. https://saiia.org.za/research/space-soil-and-status-insights-from-the-aprm-into-the-governance-of-land-in-africa/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=South African Institute of International Affairs |title=Space, Soil and Status: Insights from the APRM into the Governance of Land in Africa |date=20 April 2016 |url=https://saiia.org.za/research/space-soil-and-status-insights-from-the-aprm-into-the-governance-of-land-in-africa/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{southafricaninstituteofinternationalaffairs2016space, author = {{South African Institute of International Affairs}}, title = {{Space, Soil and Status: Insights from the APRM into the Governance of Land in Africa}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2016}, month = apr, url = {https://saiia.org.za/research/space-soil-and-status-insights-from-the-aprm-into-the-governance-of-land-in-africa/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }