German Society for International Cooperation GIZ GmbH Tender Result

In most African countries, there is a high degree of competition over the use of land for different purposes. The interests of various actors often clash, such as interests of investors with those of small-scale farmers. In order to guarantee the livelihoods of small-scale farmers and marginalized groups like ethnic minorities, respected rights for the use of and the access to land are of key importance. Often these are fostered through the development and implementation of appropriate land policies. In 2006, the African Union (AU) established the African Land Policy Centre (ALPC), which aims at improving land policies in a regional context. To this end, ALPC dedicated one of its programmes to capacity development of stakeholders in the land sector in Africa and initiated the Network of Excellence on Land Governance in Africa (NELGA). To support this initiative, the BMZ/GIZ through the Strengthening Advisory Capacities for Land Governance in Africa program since 2014 provides human, technical and financial resources to ALPC and NELGA nodes towards an improved land governance landscape in Africa. NELGA is a network of over 70 African universities in over 30 countries which seeks to enhance land governance capacities in support of land policy development, implementation and monitoring. NELGA contributes to the implementation of the "AU Agenda on Land" through formal training and education, research and analysis, and monitoring and evaluation of land policy in order to address land related challenges that hamper Africa"s transformation agenda for inclusive growth and broad-based development (Agenda 2063, 33126-doc-framework_document_book.pdf (au.int) ). Among others, this is achieved through conducting applied research on land issues pertinent to the AU Agenda on Land. It is imperative that research addresses key questions emanating from land policy and governance programmes across Africa, firstly, to develop much needed evidence, secondly, to provide lessons learnt and best practices for refinement and development of more responsive land governance initiatives and programmes. In addition, it is important that research makes its way into policy dialogues for recognition and action. Furthermore, NELGA seeks to develop capacities of NELGA members with the aim of a harmonised and up-to-date knowledge base on different aspects of land governance. NELGA also wants to foster an enabling and supportive environment for land governance on the continent. Thereto, NELGA rolls out a myriad of complementary actions and services towards creating and amplifying knowledge, ensuring that research findings effectively make their way into policy dialogues. NELGA members are asked to understand contemporary yet context-specific policy processes and tools, to amplify their voice in Africa"s land dialogue, to promote research findings and best practices, and to foster spaces for dialogue with diverse stakeholders across media to private sector. The economic nuances demand engagement with private sector actors as strong influencers in land governance. Understanding their communication needs is pivotal as this will ensure a more collaborative effort between research and investment decisions in creating an enabling a sustainable economic landscape for Africa. NELGA should be enabled to carry out research that informs policy and practice in land governance. NELGA may achieve this best through facilitating research that addresses the knowledge needs of policy makers and decision makers in both the public and private sectors, and through actively engaging the research end users in order to increase the probability of research uptake. NELGA should also share knowledge on best practices within the network and share research findings with the wider research community and general public so as to improve accessibility of research on land governance and increase its evidence base.