(Ecofin Agency) - Recently, think tank Audace Institut Afrique organized in Yamoussoukro, Côte d’Ivoire’s capital city, a working session revolving around the rural land management issue. The meeting falls under a project, financed by the Friedrich Naumann foundation. 

Themed "Governance and management of lands, tradition at the service of land security", the workshop mostly aimed at reviewing the current state of affairs. “The goal is to gather all actors of the land sector, traditional authorities, researchers, government, and representatives of the new Land Agency and also part of the civic society to review the first field year of community actors. A field programme which aims to improve land governance in villages,” said Gisèle Dutheuil (picture), director of Audace Institut Afrique, cited by local media Fraternité Matin.   

She highlighted that the pilot phase of the project which commenced in four villages (two in Guiglo and two in Sinfra) has already yielded significant results. “We have already completed the digital community land registry for those villages. Community lands have already been demarcated; we know the rights of major families. We have identified the people occupying the lands of those families. We have registered least significant documents which often appear to be clear contracts. Next, we will get the agriculture office involved to discuss certifications,” she noted.