Côte d’Ivoire has launched a new initiative aimed at modernizing land governance, improving land tenure security and creating conditions for greater investment and sustainable development.

Agriculture and Rural Development Minister Bruno Nabagné Koné officially launched the first edition of the Abidjan Land Forum on Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2026, at the Hôtel Tiama in Abidjan. Senegalese Ambassador to Côte d’Ivoire Paul Benoît Barka Sarr attended the launch.

The international event is scheduled to take place from Oct. 5 to Oct. 7, 2026, at the Parc des Expositions in Port-Bouët, under the patronage of Vice President and Minister of Defense Téné Birahima Ouattara.

The forum aims to establish Abidjan as a major platform for dialogue, innovation and cooperation on land tenure security, bringing together stakeholders from 14 countries.

Land security has become a strategic issue for Côte d’Ivoire as the country seeks to clarify land rights, reduce disputes and facilitate productive investment.

“Land is not only an economic resource,” Koné said, describing secure land rights as a factor in peace, social cohesion, investment and sustainable development.

Côte d’Ivoire has about 23 million hectares of rural land to be secured, while 8,631 villages remain to be delimited. Authorities also expect nearly 1.5 million land certificates to be issued as part of the country’s broader land reform.

Since the creation of the Rural Land Agency, known by its French acronym AFOR, in 2016, the government says significant progress has been made.

More than 5,700 villages have been delimited, nearly 68,000 land certificates have been issued and thousands of agricultural agreements have been formalized, according to the figures presented at the launch.

The government is also turning to digital tools to improve the management of land records and transactions.

Digitalization is expected to play a central role in the modernization of the sector, including through the Integrated Urban Land Management System, known as SIGFU.

The authorities see improved land administration as a way to provide greater legal certainty to landowners and investors while helping prevent conflicts linked to land ownership and use.

The first Abidjan Land Forum will be held under the theme: “Land tenure security: a factor of social cohesion and a lever for productive investment, job creation for young people and women, and sustainable development.”

The event is expected to bring together public institutions, private-sector representatives, development partners, land professionals and other stakeholders from 14 countries.

Senegal has been designated as the guest of honor and is expected to share its experience in land registration, cadastral systems, land tenure security and innovation in territorial governance.

The forum comes as Côte d’Ivoire continues efforts to strengthen its land administration system in both rural and urban areas.

For the government, clearer and more secure land rights are expected to help unlock investment, support agricultural development and reduce land-related disputes.

The authorities also see land reform as part of a broader development strategy aimed at creating economic opportunities for young people and women while strengthening social cohesion.

By positioning Abidjan as a regional meeting point for land governance, Côte d’Ivoire hopes the forum will encourage the exchange of expertise and accelerate the adoption of innovative approaches to land management across Africa.