[Guest Blog] From Decolonizing to Liberating Land in Africa’s Changing Climate

By Emmanuel Sulle*

 

At the Sixth Conference on Land Policy in Africa (CLPA), the call was clear: Africa must break free from colonial land systems and boldly reimagine its relationship with land. From Supreme Court justices to ministers and scholars, speakers insisted on moving beyond lamentation toward liberation. The call was not simply to decolonize land laws, but to transform them – creatively, unapologetically, and with the future in mind.

This urgent shift is intensified by the climate crisis, where outdated and exclusionary land systems only deepen vulnerabilities. African institutions, especially universities, must redesign curricula and research agendas to integrate climate literacy across all disciplines, ensuring graduates are equipped to navigate climate, justice, and sustainability.

Why This Moment Matters

The conference theme “Land Governance, Justice and Reparations for Africans and Descendants of People of the African Diaspora” drew on a painful yet necessary truth that African land and people for centuries been targeted by other nations for raw materials and labour. The legacies of enslavement, colonial plunder, and economic extraction remain deeply embedded in current land systems. Understanding these histories is not optional—it is foundational, because in a changing climate, this weight becomes heavier, demanding just and innovative land governance.

Voices from the Plenary and Technical Sessions

The United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), Mr Claver Gatete, urged African countries to strengthen land administration systems and ensure land is productively used. He challenged the longstanding dependence on exporting raw materials, and emphasized harnessing diaspora capital and technology for resilience.

Ambassador Amr Aljowaily of the African Union Commission spoke of land as a mirror reflecting Africa’s broader struggles—identity, ownership, justice, and survival. He stressed that “the African decade of justice must be grounded in truth,” arguing that revisiting colonial history is key to understanding inequitable systems and crafting meaningful reforms. The challenge, he stated, is to translate reparative justice into forward-looking institutional reform.

Kenyan artist Scar of ‘Scar Poetry,’ used her powerful performance to remind delegates that justice and reparation are not abstract ideas—they are emotional, spiritual, and historical necessities. As one line declared, “We have been here before. But this time, may we stay long enough for the land to heal.”

South Africa’s Minister of Land Reform emphasized that land remains the foundation of food security, social stability, and cultural identity. He called for stronger collaboration between government, universities, and research institutions. “We need new finance models and better policy research,” he urged.

Justice Smokin Wanjala of Kenya’s Supreme Court delivered a sharp critique of Africa’s inherited land systems, describing three colonial harms: the loss of land rights, displacement and identity loss, and the destruction of African land tenure systems. “Colonialism’s objective was to plunder—often by force,” he said. He reminded us that while African liberation movements sought to restore land and dignity, many post-colonial regimes ironically dismissed customary tenure as “backward”, reproducing colonial attitudes. His was warning was to avoid “perpetuating old continuities.”

Dr Dozwa from Zimbabwe outlined her country’s deliberate move to break from colonial land structures, after the “willing buyer, willing seller” model failed. Fast-track land reform redistributing land and, she stated, has led to self-sufficiency in key crops. Her firm conclusion: “Colonial continuity is a choice of leadership.”

Technical sessions highlighted chronic underinvestment in land governance. Speakers noted that technology, such as digital land data and AI, offers opportunity but risks enabling elite capture if safeguards are absent.

Onyekachi Wambu reminded the audience that Africa has thousands of years of experience solving its own problems. Reclaiming trust in African institutions, leadership, and knowledge systems is therefore central to breaking colonial continuities.

Toward Liberated Land and Liberated Futures

The CLPA conversations made one truth undeniable: Africa’s land question is not technical—it is historical, political, cultural, economic, and spiritual. Land reform must reclaim identity, restore dignity, and prepare societies for climate-driven futures. It must be inclusive, innovative, and grounded in justice.

Liberating land means liberating the systems, ideas, and people tied to it.

It means speaking boldly, without apology.

It means trusting African solutions and African futures.

 

Professor Emmanuel Sulle is an Assistant Professor, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Karachi and Director of Arusha Climate and Environmental Research Centre (AKU-ACER). He is a leading scholar on agrarian studies in Africa and a contributor to the Network of Excellence on Land Governance in Africa. He is a member of the CLPA 2025 Scientific Committee.