L Land Governance in Africa Olugbemiga Samuel Afolabi Department of Political Science, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife, Nigeria Synonyms Land administrative; Land tenure; Land use Definition Land governance refers to the systems, policies, and politics that determine, guide, and shape the administration over land. Introduction Land is central to human existence and is associ- ated with power, prestige, wealth, and social standing. Its centrality is tied to human rights. Individual and group are incomplete without rights to land and its resources. In many societies and countries, land is used as an indicator of wealth. Wars have been fought over land and were, in time past, a source of constant conflict. Its importance was recognized in philosophical writings such that John Locke, a British philoso- pher contended that natural right is inclusive of the right to life, liberty, and property (land), the three dimensions of natural right of every human. He further clarified that land (property gotten from land) is the first and most important out of the dimensions of natural right. The right to land, Locke believed, includes the right of a person to his/her person, and this is the basis of rights of life and liberty. The import of Locke’s thesis is that right to land is natural to humans and, therefore, determines other rights to life and liberty as those without access to land are likely to be subjugated to their fellows. This position still holds true today as attachments to and controversies over land permeate every society and have shaped war and peace, dictatorship, and democracy. In Africa, controversies over land have led to killings and genocide as the case was in Rwanda, Nigeria, and South Africa to mention a few countries. Contentions over land have defined relationships, nationhood, and statehood. While it has strong physical geographical features, land covers the surface of the earth, and within it are numerous resources that humans have exploited for profit and sustenance. There is a direct connection between land and humans. It defines relationships in terms of nationality and movements per state- hood. Its importance is seen in the disputed con- cept of stateless persons, which means that there are people in the world without a defined geo- graphical piece of land that can be called their country or state. In terms of politics, land affects electoral/democratic processes as campaigns, votes, and governance are linked to the geograph- ical areas of support. For this reason, land is both © Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021 A. Farazmand (ed.), Global Encyclopedia of Public Administration, Public Policy, and Governance, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-31816-5_4007-1