By Dennis Omukunde – ILC Africa & HATUNGIMANA Hilaire – Confederation of Agricultural Producers’ Associations for Development (CAPAD)
Across Africa and much of the Global South, land is more than just a physical asset; it is the foundation of security, dignity, and economic survival. Yet, land tenure insecurity remains a major driver of conflict, poverty, and social exclusion, disproportionately affecting vulnerable groups such as women, Indigenous peoples, and youth. The challenges faced in Burundi, where land disputes and lack of formal ownership continue to hinder economic progress, are a microcosm of broader systemic issues seen across the continent. As the world prepares for the Global Land Forum (GLF) in Colombia this June, now is the time to place land rights at the center of global discussions on sustainable development, equity, and justice.
Burundi: A Case Study in Land Rights Struggles
The recent Burundi National Land Rights Forum highlighted the urgent need for reforms to secure tenure for marginalized groups. More than 80% of Burundians rely on land for their livelihoods, yet a considerable proportion lack formal titles, making them susceptible to eviction, land grabs, and disputes that often escalate into social unrest. Women endure the most of this insecurity, with customary laws and bureaucratic obstacles limiting their ability to inherit and register land despite their role as the backbone of agricultural production. Similarly, the Indigenous Batwa community remains disproportionately disadvantaged, with many still landless despite government pledges to allocate plots to them. These challenges are not unique to Burundi but resonate across Africa, where outdated land laws and weak governance structures continue to fuel inequality and instability.
Key discussions from the forum underscored several pressing concerns: the absence of a clear inheritance law, the persistence of discriminatory land practices, the slow pace of land registration, and the failure to digitize land records. Participants also highlighted the lack of a national land information system, which hampers transparency and efficient dispute resolution. Addressing these issues requires decisive action, including strengthening legal frameworks, accelerating digital land management, and ensuring that vulnerable groups have a voice in land governance decision-making.
The Global Land Forum: An Opportunity for Change
The upcoming GLF provides a critical platform to build on these discussions and drive forward tangible solutions on a global scale. The challenges in Burundi mirror those faced in Latin America and Asia, where Indigenous groups and smallholder farmers struggle to claim legal ownership of ancestral lands. In many African countries, governments have initiated large-scale land reforms, but implementation remains slow and often excludes marginalized communities. The GLF will bring together policymakers, activists, and grassroots organizations to explore best practices for inclusive land governance, strengthening tenure security, and ensuring that land reform efforts prioritize social justice.
One of the key takeaways from the Burundi forum was the importance of data-driven land governance. With only 13% of Burundi’s municipalities having adopted digital land records, the lack of a centralized land registry continues to exacerbate disputes and corruption. This challenge is mirrored across Africa, where unreliable or inaccessible land data fuels speculation and disenfranchises local communities. A major outcome of the GLF should be a commitment to improving land mapping technologies and ensuring that land registration processes are transparent, inclusive, and accessible to all.
Additionally, gender-inclusive land policies must be prioritized. The forum emphasized that without legal protections, women will continue to face systemic barriers to land ownership, limiting their economic independence and reinforcing cycles of poverty. Legal reforms must address these inequalities by ensuring that land inheritance laws protect women’s rights and that land governance bodies actively include female representation. The GLF offers a unique opportunity for governments and civil society to commit to bold, transformative policies that secure land rights for women, Indigenous communities, and smallholder farmers.
A Call to Global Action
Beyond legal and policy reforms, there is also an urgent need to strengthen multi-stakeholder dialogue. The Burundi forum highlighted how collaboration between governments, civil society organizations, and community groups can lead to practical solutions, such as simplifying land certification processes and improving legal literacy among marginalized populations. The GLF must build on this momentum by fostering cross-regional collaboration, where successful strategies from various parts of the world can be adapted and implemented in diverse contexts.
Securing land rights is not just a governance issue; it is an economic and social justice imperative. Equitable land policies can unlock investment, drive agricultural productivity, and reduce conflict. Without secure tenure, millions remain trapped in poverty, unable to leverage land as a means of financial security or economic opportunity. As global leaders gather in Colombia, they must move beyond rhetoric to action, committing to legal frameworks and policies that protect those who have long been excluded from formal land ownership.
The time for action is now. Land belongs to the people who work on it; let us ensure they can keep it.
