Published: 01 August 2013

At least 50% of land in Sub-Saharan Africa should be registered as a means of enhancing land–related investments and productivity, the World Bank has said.

In its report titled Securing Africa's Land for Prosperity, the WB said despite the fact that Africa had half of the world's usable and uncultivated land, it was a cause for concern that it had the highest poverty rate with close to half the population living on less than $1,25 a day.

The report says only 10% of Africa's land is registered, with the other 90% undocumented and informally administered.
The report states that Africa has not leveraged its abundant agricultural land and natural resources to generate shared and sustained growth to eradicate poverty.

The report further states that land ownership inequalities and landlessness are growing problems in Côte d'Ivoire, Kenya, Liberia and Southern Africa.

The problems, according to the report, are likely to undermine shared growth and social cohesion as has happened in Zimbabwe in 2000 at the height of farm invasions.
- newsday

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