Contemporary customary land issues in Africa: navigating the contours of change

This title examines current trends in customary land issues in Africa, focusing on the practice of converting customary land into leasehold tenure, particularly in Zambia.

Since enactment of the 1995 Lands Act No 29 in Zambia, conversion of customary land has become a controversial policy, raising questions about the future of customary land and rural communities, and the role of traditional authorities in a changing environment.

Alienating customary land into leasehold tenure has serious implications for local and national politics and gender dynamics.

Analysis of these trends suggests that the policy of creating land markets on customary land is subjecting customary systems to the forces of change.

However, governments that have adopted this policy have not, by and large, adopted measures to respond to these challenges.