Title to come: Property rights are still wretchedly insecure in Africa

Customary rights have the advantage that they already exist, people understand them and they offer at least some security. “Law and policy should recognise what is working on the ground. So if it is customary rights, so be it,” says Esther Mwangi of the Centre for International Forestry Research. A USAID survey conducted in Ethiopia, Guinea, Liberia and Zambia found that less than a third of people had experienced land disputes. About the same number thought confiscation of, or encroachment on, their land was likely. That suggests that their property is far less secure than it would be in any rich country, but not as insecure as one might expect, given that less than 10% of households have any documents proving their land ownership in the latter three countries.