This blog was originally published by Land Portal. Photo by Ollivier Girard/CIFOR, Creative Commons Attribution.

By Khadija Mrisho and Yidamno-Antonio Wesley Jr.

Africa is the youngest continent in the world, with a median age of around 20. This rising generation of youth presents an enormous opportunity for socio-economic development. But for Africa’s young people to unlock their full potential, they need full enjoyment of land rights – a cornerstone for economic opportunity and social empowerment.

Unfortunately, laws and customary practices related to land still pose barriers for most youth. Customary laws and traditional leadership often exclude young people from accessing land or participating in land governance, and statutory laws and policies often lack youth-specific provisions that would guarantee land rights.

In Tanzania, for example, the National Land Policy and subsequent land laws lack specific provisions on youth land rights and quotas for youth representation on land governance and decision-making processes. Inheritance laws uphold customary norms that discriminate against the inheritance rights of daughters – placing them in the 3rd tier of heirs. Young widows lack inheritance rights altogether.

In Liberia, the Land Rights Act, of 2018, seeks to ensure equal access and protection with respect to land ownership, use, and management, including ensuring customary land protection and equal youth representation in land management committees. Land ownership is accorded to all Liberian citizens regardless of their identity, custom, ethnicity, tribe, gender, or age, among others. Yet, youth face massive challenges with implementation, especially within customary laws, which favor young men over young women and girls in the succession process.

Across Africa this is a critical issue, influencing diverse ripple effects on the livelihoods of young people who account for more than 400 million people aged 15-35. In fact, youth rights to land go beyond land tenure – it is the foundation for the African Union’s vision for “people-driven development” as laid out in Agenda 2063: The Africa We Want.

Aspiration 6 of the AU Agenda 2063 describes an Africa where development meets the needs of women, youth and children. Member states are required to include youth and women in all aspects of decision-making to mainstream youth issues in all development agendas. This recognizes the valuable contribution of women and youth towards the development of the continent. While there are many ways women and youth can drive Africa’s development, agriculture remains the largest employment sector, especially in rural areas. Thus, land rights are key, if the continent is to maximize its potential for development.

While Africa’s governments are making strides in adopting policies to account for the unique needs of youth, legal and policy frameworks, customary norms, the intergenerational gap between elders and youth, and a lack of youth-centered data all persist in inhibiting youth land rights.

To address these challenges, Landesa, a member of the Youth and Land Multi-Stakeholder Platform of Africa (YLMPA) partnered with the Youth Initiatives for Land in Africa (YILAA) and other partners to convene the International Youth and Land Governance Conference in Africa (CIGOFA4), from 20 – 24 October in Arusha, Tanzania. The event brought together youth, policy makers, CSOs and youth-led organizations, practitioners and traditional leaders from across Africa to discuss, learn and shape youth governance issues for the acceleration of youth land rights in Africa.

CIGOFA4 offered a dynamic platform for youth-led discussion on access to land and participation in land governance, as well as facilitating intergenerational dialogue between youth and traditional leaders, some of whom express skepticism about the importance of youth land rights.

Such dialogues are vital to close the intergenerational gap, ensuring that youth can benefit from the mentorship and expertise that elders can provide, while addressing misconceptions elders may have about a lack of interest in land rights and agricultural livelihoods among young people.

CIGOFA4’s key takeaways and recommendations include developing and implementing youth- centered land laws and policies to mainstream youth land considerations in land tenure frameworks; improving efforts to collect disaggregated data on youth land rights to better inform decision making; addressing customary norms that discriminate against youth land rights, including the rights of girls; and generating up-to-date information on the status of youth land rights at country levels.

With progress on youth land rights, we can help ensure that the next generation of young Africans will be able to secure their futures, putting the continent on the path toward socio-economic development and realizing “the Africa We Want.”

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Khadija Mrisho is a Land Tenure Specialist leading work on youth and women’s land rights at Landesa Tanzania. Yidamno-Antonio Wesley Jr is Landesa’s consultant and representative of the Youth and Land Multi-Stakeholder Platform of Africa (YLMPA) based in Liberia.