Co-creating land governance research agenda by, for, in, and on Africa: Experience of Network of Land Governance Researchers on Africa (NELGRA)

Abstract

Africa and Africans’ response to the challenge of spearheading innovative research and in formulating comprehensive policies on land governance are very recent. Across the continent, the African Land Policy Centre (ALPC) has emphasized and prioritized knowledge acquisition and capacity development on land governance especially through its Network of Excellence for Land Governance in Africa (NELGA). Notwithstanding the strides made through NELGA, there are still gaps at both the regional and local levels in terms of impacts in developing research capacities in land governance. In the context of land governance, research networks are inter-connected groups who are dedicated to academic research in and on a specific subject or focus on the emerging paradigms of land management. Over the years, many institutions have been targeted with capacity building packages on land governance, with little focus on the researchers themselves and how their self-built research networks could be useful in promoting good and sustainable land governance. This paper argues that one of the strategies for facilitating the development (and/or expansion) of African research portfolios are the operation of semi-formal to informal research networks focusing on individual researchers that can enhance collaborations among African researchers to improve cocreation of knowledge based on locally observed and scientifically investigated scenarios.