Property and Prosperity: Reforming Landholding in Africa

The document examines the complex hybrid of customary and statutory landholding systems across Africa, utilizing data from the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM). It highlights that while weak property rights hinder economic growth and agricultural productivity, the administrative costs and institutional limitations of full formal titling make it an impractical immediate solution. Instead, the author proposes a gradual approach: strengthening informal tenure security, improving state administrative capacity through computerization, and investing in rural infrastructure to boost land value and productivity.

• African landholding is characterized by a hybrid system where traditional (customary) and statutory models often overlap, creating complex and sometimes contradictory administrative environments.
• Agricultural productivity in sub-Saharan Africa is significantly underperforming, operating at only 25% of its potential, despite agriculture employing approximately 65% of the workforce and contributing 32% of the region's GDP.
• Widespread insecurity in landholdings is a major barrier to economic progress, as only 10% of rural land in Africa is formally registered, preventing assets from being used as collateral for credit.
• Universal formal titling is viewed as a long-term aspiration rather than an immediate solution due to high costs, the risk of influential interests seizing land, and the limited value of poor people's assets as collateral.
• A more effective intermediate strategy is to implement 'informal titling' by recognizing user rights and security of tenure, such as the use of customary landholding certificates in Zambia.
• To transition toward formal systems, African states must improve administrative capacity through technology and increase investment in rural transport and agricultural services to raise land values.

APA

Corrigan, T. (2016). Property and Prosperity: Reforming Landholding in Africa. South African Institute of International Affairs. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Policy-Briefing-146.pdf

Chicago

Corrigan, Terence. Property and Prosperity: Reforming Landholding in Africa. South African Institute of International Affairs, 2016. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Policy-Briefing-146.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Corrigan |first1=Terence |title=Property and Prosperity: Reforming Landholding in Africa |publisher=South African Institute of International Affairs |date=January 2016 |url=https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Policy-Briefing-146.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{corrigan2016property, author = {Corrigan, Terence}, title = {{Property and Prosperity: Reforming Landholding in Africa}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2016}, month = jan, url = {https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Policy-Briefing-146.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }