Shaping the Narrative: Journalists urged to Centre African agency in Land Rights

Addis Ababa, 6 November 2025 (ECA) - In Africa, the narrative on land has too often been shaped by colonial interpretations Ahead of the November 10-13 November Conference on Land Policy in Africa, the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), through its African Land Policy Centre (ALPC), convened a sensitization webinar for journalists across the continent.

The session served to align media professionals with the conference's theme, "Land Governance, Justice and Reparations for Africans and Descendants of the People of the African Diaspora.," with an emphasis on"centering African agency in telling the story of land"

Joan Kagwanja set the stage by outlining the ambitious African Union Land Policy Agenda. She explained that the ALPC itself is a product of this agenda, tasked with leveraging land resources for sustainable development. The CLPA conference is a key pillar of this work, bringing member states together to forge actionable solutions.

Kimani Njogu of Twaweza Communications elaborated on the core themes of CLPA '25 and invited journalists to engage with the uncomfortable, lingering historical injustices. The mass exodus of African people and resources, he noted, fueled the Industrial Revolution in the West, built on the backs of enslaved labour and the extraction of raw materials. While enslaved Africans were barred from owning land in the "New World," those on the continent saw their lives irrevocably altered by the arbitrary borders drawn at the Berlin Conference of 1884.

This historical context sets the stage for the conference's sub themes, with discussions to be held through plenary and moderated parallel sessions:

• Emerging best practices in developing responsive land policies

• Effective and transparent land governance and administration institutions

• Data monitoring and evaluation of land governance

• Cross cutting: Youth, gender, climate change, technology, reparations

Subthemes:

1. Land tenure and equity

2. Climate justice, resilience, and ecological system.

3. Colonialism, land and agri-food systems.

4. Land, urbanization, settlements and conflicts.

5. Land governance, international law and reparations.

6. Land, trade, colonialism and economic injustice.

A presentation from Molema Moiloa on Cultural Heritage Restitution argued that the return of Africa's material heritage to the continent is not enough. A lot must be done to embed the returning artefacts into our cultures and communities today. A staggering 90-95% of Africa's natural heritage remains outside the continent, which goes to show the pillaging that took place in the continent to rob it of its culture and identity.

Eileen Wakesho made an insightful presentation on African Land Governance and colonialism where journalists were reminded of their role in helping to correct past and present narratives, investigating root causes of land injustices and centering women and vulnerable groups in telling our stories.

Mr. Onyekachi Wambu underscored the need to make sure Africa speaks for herself and not spoken about by other people. Telling the Pan-African story is a way of reclaiming our agency as a continent.

Liz Mushoto gave a presentation on urban development and planning of post-colonial African countries to reflect our present circumstances. Colonialism, on the main, worked because the systems put in place were effective and worked to serve the Europeans with an example of Apartheid South Africa whose urban planning system made sure to segregate Africans from Europeans. But the solution could be found in examining how colonial practices continue to shape Africa's present and asking what post-coloniality means for Africans on the continent and in the diaspora.

The session urged Journalists to be active participants in rewriting Africa's narrative on land and to seek to capture the ways in which Africans are redressing historical wrongs,

Contributed by Nicholas Mokua, Twaweza Communications

Issued by:Communications SectionEconomic Commission for AfricaPO Box 3001Addis AbabaEthiopiaTel: +251 11 551 5826E-mail: [email protected]