Addis Ababa, November 10, 2025 – The sixth Conference on Land Policy in Africa (CLPA 2025) opened this Monday in the iconic Africa Hall, the historic birthplace of the Organization of African Unity (OAU). Under the theme “Land Governance, Justice and Reparations for Africans and People of African Descent,” this year’s edition brought together high level personalities, researchers, and development actors to discuss historical justice, land sovereignty, and economic equity across the continent.
The opening ceremony, chaired by Dr. Janet Edeme, Head of the Rural Development and Agriculture Division at the African Union Commission (AUC), featured a cultural performance and a moving poetic act by artist Scar, celebrating African unity and the resilience of its peoples in the face of colonial dispossession. In his welcoming address, Mr. Claver Gatete, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), highlighted the symbolic significance of the venue:
“We are gathered here in the very hall where Africa’s founding fathers proclaimed their unity and dignity. This place remains a living witness to our collective pursuit of justice and freedom.”
He praised the collaboration between UNECA, the AUC, and the African Development Bank (AfDB) through the African Land Policy Centre (ALPC) a platform dedicated to strengthening evidence-based land reforms. Addressing the continent’s complex challenges economic instability, climate crises, and structural inequalities Mr. Gatete denounced the enduring imbalances rooted in colonial history:
“How can we build a prosperous Africa when the roots of historical injustice remain buried within our economic and political systems?”
He reminded participants that Africa, despite its immense resources, contributes only 2% of global manufacturing output, even though it holds 30% of the world’s mineral reserves and 65% of uncultivated arable land. Speaking with both analytical depth and conviction, Mr. Gatete proposed five key areas for action:
Reform the global financial system to curb illicit flows and reduce unfair borrowing costs.
Strengthen land governance, especially regarding women’s and youth land rights.
Leverage the AfCFTA to transform Africa’s resources into regional value chains.
Engage the African diaspora as a driver of development and knowledge transfer.
Invest in innovation and climate resilience for sustainable and equitable growth.
“Reparations must not only acknowledge the past—they must transform the systems that continue to reproduce inequality,” he stressed, concluding with a call to “restore balance between resource wealth and shared prosperity.”
The keynote address was delivered by Hon. Mzwanele Nyhontso, South Africa’s Minister of Land Reform and Rural Development. In a detailed and structured presentation, he reviewed his country’s progress and challenges in land reform, echoing the conference’s continental theme. Emphasizing the constitutional basis of land rights, he declared that South Africa’s reform process is above all about restoring human dignity:
“Our mission is not only to redistribute land, but to deliver justice and rebuild the dignity of people long deprived of their rights.”
Since 1994, South Africa has redistributed nearly 5.9 million hectares of land and implemented programs for secure tenure and restitution. The Minister noted that 50% of apartheid-era land claims have been settled, while 83,614 restitution cases have been finalized, combining financial compensation with land return. Nyhontso also highlighted technological innovations in land management, including the Electronic Deeds Registration System (eDRS) and the National Spatial Data Observatory (NSDO), designed to enhance transparency and policy efficiency. He urged African states to adopt a united stance on reparations, insisting that restorative justice must go beyond symbolism:
“Former colonial powers owe a moral and economic debt to African peoples. Reparations are not a favor—they are a matter of justice.”
He called for a continent-wide framework for land compensation, inspired by the Caribbean’s Nine-Point Plan, while emphasizing the need for a holistic approach integrating rural development, industrialization, housing, and social inclusion. Concluding his remarks, the Minister invoked Kwame Nkrumah’s vision:
“African unity is a condition for survival. Divided, we remain weak; united, we can become a force for the good of humanity.”
The conference, which runs until November 13, will feature thematic sessions on women’s land rights, environmental justice, land information systems, and economic reparations mechanisms for communities affected by dispossession and land degradation. CLPA 2025 thus stands as a political and moral turning point in the debate on land governance in Africa. In a context marked by the growing impacts of climate change, unequal access to land, and the pressures of extractive investments, participants aim to build a new social contract based on justice, transparency, and territorial sovereignty.
The opening ceremony brought together a diverse range of participants from over 30 African countries, including Kenya, Nigeria, Ghana, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Cameroon, South Africa, and Ethiopia. Among the attendees were ministers, parliamentarians, land experts, researchers, civil society representatives, journalists, and technical and financial partners. Representatives from the United Nations, UNECA, AUC, and the AfDB also took part. Throughout the morning’s side events, these political, academic, and community actors exchanged ideas on how to strengthen land governance, justice, and reparations in Africa, in a spirit of regional cooperation and social equity. As one delegate summarized during the closing of the ceremony:
“To speak of land justice is to speak of the future. And that future begins here, in Addis Ababa.”
