Institute for Poverty, Land & Agrarian Studies (PLAAS) 2021 Short Course for African Academics

The Institute for Poverty, Land & Agrarian Studies (PLAAS) at the University of the Western Cape is hosting a short course on the Political Economy of Land Governance in Africa, in collaboration with the African Land Policy Centre (ALPC). The medium of instruction and assessment will be conducted in English.

Across Africa, the majority of both rural and urban residents have insecure tenure rights, either in law or in practice. They face the legacy of land dispossession, colonial legal codes, contested customary tenure systems, and growing pressure on land in the face of commercial investments. How can land rights and land governance in Africa be strengthened? To address these challenges requires building a highly-skilled cohort of land professionals and land policy makers. This short course will equip these leaders to resolve the land challenges facing the continent.

Eligible Field(s): The key themes and concepts that will be covered in the short course will include:

1. Pre-colonial and colonial histories of land rights in Africa
2. Statutory versus customary land tenure in Africa
3. Land policy and land law in Africa
4. Land administration in rural and urban contexts in Africa
5. Land corruption in Africa
6. Natural resource access and management in Africa
7. Large-scale land acquisitions, gender and class in Africa
8. Land policy responses and African and global land policy guidelines

• Table of Content
• About Institute for Poverty, Land & Agrarian Studies (PLAAS)
• PLAAS Short Course
• Aim and Benefits of PLAAS Short Course
• Requirements for PLAAS Short Course Qualification
• Application Deadline
• How to Apply

About Institute for Poverty, Land & Agrarian Studies (PLAAS)

Our institute was founded in 1995 (initially called ‘Programme for Land and Agrarian Studies’) as a specialist unit in the School of Government, in the Economic and Management Sciences Faculty, at the University of the Western Cape (UWC), Cape Town. The main purpose of the Programme was to undertake policy-oriented research to support the newly elected government in implementing its land reform policies. Within a short time, it developed a strong international reputation for doing high quality in-depth research on matters related to these policies: the politi... continue reading

PLAAS Short Course

Aim and Benefits of PLAAS Short Course

The short course is funded by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), under the Network of Excellence in Land Governance in Africa (NELGA) project. Funding is available for 60 participants to attend the short course training online. Selected participants must ensure they have access to good internet infrastructure to attend the course.

A Certificate of Attendance for those who attend at least 80% of the sessions and
participate in 50% of all in-session assignments, but do not complete the assessment
activities OR
A Certificate of Competence for those who attend 100% of the sessions and successfully complete all assessments

Requirements for PLAAS Short Course Qualification

Applicants should hold an undergraduate degree and have at least 3-4 years of work experience. Applicants without a university degree may be considered, if they have at least 10-15 years of experience. Applicants should be conversant in, write and understand English.

Application Deadline

How to Apply

Kindly note only successful applicants will be contacted by 6 August 2021.

For more detatils, visit the website.