Land Corruption Programme
Corruption in land governance is the abuse of entrusted power for private gain while carrying out the functions of land administration and land management. Whether it’s an opaque deal between private investors and local authorities, citizens having to pay bribes during land administration processes, unaccountable urban planning, or customary laws that deny women their land rights; land corruption hits poor and marginalised men and women hardest. Around the world, one in five people report having paid a bribe for land services in recent years; in Africa, almost every second client of land administration services has been affected. In addition, millions of women and men bear the brunt of political and grand corruption in relation to land; resulting in widespread land-grabbing and expropriation of community lands across the continent.
Limited access to information and participation in decision-making for citizens, together with complex laws and procedures regulating land ownership, and insufficient access to justice, are some of the driving forces behind land corruption. Insufficient capacity in local land offices and traditional institutions makes it more difficult for officials to support good governance practices. Limited oversight by independent bodies and a perceived lack of consequences for abusing power also enable a climate of corruption. The effects of land corruption include insecure tenure, food insecurity, barriers to socio-economic development, increased risk of conflict, and threats to traditional cultures. For nation-states, the continued presence of land corruption exacts a toll on national economies and impedes achieving many of the Sustainable Development Goals.
Since 2015, the Land and Corruption in Africa programme at Transparency International has worked to develop innovative approaches to understanding, tracking, and overcoming land corruption. Led by the Secretariat in Berlin, this unique programme encompasses National Chapters from Cameroon, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Madagascar, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
For further information, please see the programme page here: https://www.transparency.org/whatwedo/activity/land_and_corruption_in_sub_saharan_africa
