Global land network commends Rwanda for enabling land policies

The Director of the International Land Coalition (ILC), Niasse Madiodio, has said that Rwanda is currently exemplary in Africa in terms of land management and ensuring that people’s rights on land are not violated. Madiodio made the remarks after meeting with the Minister of Natural Resources, Stanislas Kamanzi, who briefed him on the current progress in land management. ILC is based in Rome, Italy, with an African chapter hosted at the Rwanda Initiative for Sustainable Development (RISD).“We consider Rwanda an exemplary case in terms of political will. Other countries in Africa have very complex land management policies, but Rwanda with her historical legacy and the high population density still shines as the best on the continent,” he said. Madiodio, who is partly in Rwanda to attend the ILC Africa chapter steering committee assembly, which takes place in Kigali this week, pointed out that land issues remain a serious matter globally. “We are interested in learning more about the land reform process in Rwanda. It has something that we, the global coalition, can learn from. This is why we meeting with various authorities to learn more.” He noted that the government has innovated a lot in line with proper land management which has impressed the donor community. The Africa Coordinator of ILC, Yusuf Nsengiyumva, also commended efforts the government has invested in land management. “Madagascar is a far bigger country than Rwanda, but reports from our recent visit there indicate that they face more land related problems than Rwanda. Rwanda has made a step further than other countries to ensure that there is no land grabbing. Land is shared equitably and the government supplies fertilisers to the people,” said Nsengiyumva.A study conducted by Rwanda Women Network (RWN) indicate that although there were cultural hindrances in terms of land ownership among women, recent reforms have given them rights to own and inherit land.

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Global land network commends Rwanda for enabling land policies