Network Support Programme Activity

Since its creation in 2001, LandNet West Africa has developed as a CSO and has been recognised by most sub regional and international partners as one of the leading land expert networks in both francophone and anglophone West Africa . LandNet West Africa has been able to develop a West-African perspective in land policy. It has been able, through its national chapters to be involved in the ongoing land policy reform processes at national level and as a sub regional body, to participate in the major land policy debates at regional and international level. Despite those successes, LandNet WA is still in a building process and as such, is still fragile. There is a need to support LandNet West Africa in order to consolidate its major achievements.

Today, LandNet West Africa is represented by three national formal member organizations (GRAF in Burkina Faso, CRCD in Togo and ARAF in Guinea) and by individual members in more than seven West African countries (Benin; Cote d'Ivoire; Ghana; Mauritania; Niger; Nigeria; and Senegal). Opportunity to expand LandNet WA membership is real. LandNet is able to expand quickly if targeted initiatives are taken to support members' concrete initiatives in engaging in the on going land policy processes at national level, and at the same time, to help them structure as LandNet national chapters.

Today, LandNet WA is also receiving requests for partnership by various institutions at sub-regional and at international levels. LandNet is only answering those requests by participating in its own goals and objectives, integrating them in its business plan and only within its limited capacities. All LandNet partnerships are conditioned by concrete steps forward in the ongoing reflection on the most relevant organization, management and governance scheme for its activities.

The next few months ahead are therefore important for LandNet WA development. LandNet needs to achieve concrete results in the following areas:

• building process: Organizational and governance matters;

• learning lessons from the implementation of key land reforms in the sub region during the last 30 years (focus on Senegal ; Burkina and Togo ) and feeding the ongoing policy reforms in the sub region;

• giving more visibility to LandNet WA by updating and publishing available selected material; and

• capacity building through training activities initiatives in cooperation with other partner institutions

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