Côte d’Ivoire has called for faster modernisation of land governance, with Vice Prime Minister and Defence Minister Téné Birahima Ouattara urging greater legal security, transparency and digitalisation to address persistent challenges surrounding access to land.

Ouattara made the call on Oct. 5 at the opening of the first edition of the Abidjan Land Days, a three-day event being held at the Abidjan Exhibition Park from Oct. 5 to 7. The event brings together public officials, land experts, development partners and private-sector and civil society representatives to discuss land security and governance.

The event is being held under the theme “Land security: a factor of social cohesion and a lever for productive investment, job creation and sustainable development.” Senegal is the guest country of this first edition.

“Between customary practices and modern law, land raises major challenges, including the security of rights, access to land, urbanisation and conflict prevention,” Ouattara said.

“That is why we must accelerate the modernisation of governance by focusing on legal security, transparency and digitalisation,” he added.

Ouattara said land should not be viewed solely as an economic asset, describing it instead as a major driver of development, peace and social cohesion.

He said Côte d’Ivoire had established a legal and institutional framework aimed at providing greater security for land rights, while acknowledging that further efforts were needed.

The vice prime minister said reforms undertaken by the government under President Alassane Ouattara had produced significant progress in the land sector, but called for those efforts to be accelerated.

“These achievements are encouraging. However, we must commit to accelerating our efforts,” he said.

The opening of the event also highlighted progress in securing rural land.

Agriculture Minister Bruno Nabagné Koné said Côte d’Ivoire had issued 68,000 land certificates, compared with 4,000 in 2017. The number of villages delimited and demarcated has also risen from 284 in 2017 to 5,786, while 86,447 agricultural agreements have been signed.

Despite this progress, the government estimates that about 23 million hectares of rural land still need to be secured, with around 9,000 localities to be delimited and approximately 1.5 million land certificates to be issued.

More than 2,000 participants are expected to take part in the three-day event, where countries and institutions will exchange experiences on land administration and explore ways to improve access to and management of land.

The challenges surrounding land governance are not unique to Côte d’Ivoire, Ouattara said, calling for greater international cooperation and the sharing of experience.

He urged participants to identify successful practices and explore new solutions, particularly through digital technologies.

The Abidjan Land Days are intended to provide a platform for dialogue between governments, experts and other stakeholders and to produce practical proposals adapted to local realities.

For Côte d’Ivoire, the objective is to strengthen land governance in a way that improves legal certainty, reduces the potential for land-related conflicts and makes land a stronger foundation for investment, employment and sustainable development.