PUBLICATION: Selected Taylor & Francis Group Articles from African and African Studies Journals

The Taylor & Francis Group publishes several leading African and African Studies journals and is committed to disseminating and showcasing African research in the global online environment in a variety of subject areas, from
the arts to zoology, economics to the environment, mathematics to music.
To show their support for Africa Day they have collated a selection of top articles which engage with Africa on a number of key themes, shown below, and have made them free to access online from the 25th May – 31st August.

• African Political Elections
• Land Grab in Africa
• Sudan in the Spotlight
• Arts and Film
• Climate Change and Environment
• The Lord’s Resistance Army

See the full selection of available articles here (pdf).Available through August 31, 2012

PUBLICATION: Land Governance in Africa (ILC)

A new publications from the International Land Coalition looks at how historical context has shaped key contemporary issues relating to policy on land.

This study outlines the main contemporary debates on land within Africa, and the frameworks and contexts that influence the framing and reform of land policy. The land question is placed within a historical context, which examines the changing frameworks of land administration across the continent and the influences of past policies on the present. This helps in identifying the economic, political, and social factors that have shaped the land question in different sub-regions. It also shows the evolution of debates and their often circular nature; recurring debates include customary versus statutory tenure, user rights, historical claims on land, individual property rights, and the need to create land markets for productive investments, as well as the relative efficiency of smallholder versus large estate agriculture and the need to protect livelihood interests of poor rural people.
Beginning with customary land tenure systems in the pre-colonial era, the study charts the evolution of land tenure and governance in different countries and regions during colonialism, independence, and the economic liberalism and structural adjustment policies of the late twentieth century. It examines the barriers to land access faced by groups such as women, pastoralists, tenants, and migrants, and questions the role of land titling in improving access to land. It also examines contemporary phenomena such as the upsurge in foreign investment and “land grabbing” for the production of food crops and biofuels, and for investment and speculation.
Recent initiatives in attempting to implement pro-poor land reforms have resulted in an increased awareness of the dynamics of customary land management, their political implications, and the need to create innovative institutions that facilitate dialogue among multiple interest groups. These are major achievements that need to guide future developments of land forums, policy debates, and new policy initiatives.

Available here.

90 per cent of Kigali residential land earmarked for apartments

City officials have said only 10 per cent of Kigali’s land will be reserved for bungalows.

In an exclusive interview, Kigali Vice-Mayor in charge of Finance and Economic Development, Alphonse Nizeyimana, explained that the move is in line with sustainable urban planning.

Nizeyimana said Kigali has only 52 per cent of land for development, and stressed that apartments were for better land management.

“We have very limited land for development and to mitigate the problem of the density, we have to adopt suitable policies,” Nizeyimana said.

“We have provided only 10 per cent for high-end houses and people to embrace the new changes in the city. We will not allow anyone to build anyhow. People have to abide by the city master plan.”

Most Rwandans fancy a home with a yard and an annex, a tendency that, according to city urban planners, threatens the city’s future in terms of development.

Kigali’s current population is estimated at 1.2 million, but it’s expected to reach 2.9 million by 2025, and five million in 2040.

According to Nizeyimana, embracing condominiums would curb the insufficiency of water supply and energy.

“It costs the government Rwf5 million to connect a home to electricity and water, but with apartments, it would cost Rwf 2 million, hence every citizen would access both water and energy easier,” he noted.

The country still faces challenges of shortage of water, but the government says it wants to work with other development partners to increase access to safe water from 71% today to 100% by 2017.

Nizeyimana added that the introduction of apartments will not only improve the city’s urban development but would boost business.

“With apartments, one lower ground floor will accommodate commercial area with restaurants and with we hope it will raise business,” Nizeyimana said.

Members of Project Umubano, an initiative of the United Kingdom’s Conservative Party, have advised the government, Kigali authorities as well as developers, to embrace apartment accommodation for better land management.

A team of seven urban planners, who were in the country as part of the project’s latest mission, concluded that there was an urgent need for the country to turn to apartments to help sustain Rwanda’s urban planning to mitigate fears of  rapid population growth both in the city and the country.

The city has over 730 square kilometres of hills and valleys, with only 422,825 square metres appropriate for development.

Esther Mutamba, the Director General of Rwanda Housing Authority, told this paper earlier that the government has already started sensitising the population on the benefits of what she called housing cooperative projects – beginning with civil servants”.

However, several citizens resist development of apartments, citing the associated costs, but concerned authorities target having 40,000 rentals by 2015 mostly for medium and low income earners. An apartment ranges between Rwf 28 million and 45 million.
It is estimated the country needs 25,000 housing units every year.
http://www.newtimes.co.rw/news/index.php?i=15066&a=56411

City council consults public on master plans

An architectural design of Kigali Master Plan. The New Times / File.

The master plans for Kicukiro and Gasabo districts have been taken to the grass roots to enable city residents give their views on them, city officials have said.

The master plan for Nyarugenge District has since been completed.

According to the officials, residents’ feedback will be considered in the final master plan which will be out in December this year and the views will be collected at the sector offices where all designs of the master plans will be displayed.

According to Lilian Mupende, the Director of Kigali City One Stop Centre, this exercise will also help citizens better understand the zoning plan, a tool that is used to determine what development has been designated in a particular area within Kigali City.

“We will for a period of two weeks create awareness and gather feedback on the ongoing zoning plan for individual sectors. We also want people to know about the entire master plan,” Mupende said.

The views and feedback from the sectors will be collected  at the sector level before being forwarded to the City of Kigali.

Other feedback will be collected via facebook (Kigalicity2040).

Speaking to this paper, the Kigali’s Director of Media and Communication, Bruno Rangira, said the plan also accommodates more apartments than bungalows in residential areas to mitigate the growing shortage of housing within the city.

Kigali contracted Surbana International Consultants, a technical firm based in Singapore to review the planning, direction and strategies for the entire city while integrating all the previous plans and development initiatives.

Surbana will also prepare the detailed master plan, urban design (for key areas) and also develop control guidelines for Gasabo and Kicukiro districts.

The consultants cite the radial city concept, which ensures securing of adequate land for future growth in a planned manner, adding that it protects city density by diverting traffic from the city centre while protecting green areas by encouraging high density development along radial axes.

Currently, the city measures 731 square kilometres with a population of about 1.3 million and a household size of 4.8 million.

It is believed that the city population would more than double to 2.9 million by 2025 and probably five million in the long run. 

City officials say the master plan aims at curtailing urbanisation to 35 percent so as to preserve all natural assets and create a compact city structure.

As a means to facilitate the construction of residential apartments within the country’s towns, the government passed the condominium law that will facilitate people to buy condos from apartment blocks without necessarily having to buy the entire building.

http://www.newtimes.co.rw/news/index.php?i=15071&a=56590