Mozambique: Tete on high alert following cholera outbreaks in neighbouring countries
in file CoM
The International Conference on ‘Hierarchies of Rights: Governance of Investments in Natural Resources in Southern and Eastern Africa’ begins in Maputo today.
The event, organised by Eduardo Mondlane University, is part of a research programme – ‘Hierarchies of Rights: Land and Investments in Africa’ – and aimed at disseminating and sharing its results.
The programme is funded by the Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA) under its Development research project, the Danida Fellowship Centre (more info on this link: http://drp.dfcentre.com/].
It is hoped the conference will create a basis for a broader debate on governance issues of natural resource investments in Africa in general and in the countries surveyed, and consolidate research on the ‘Hierarchies of Rights’ project from a discussion of its findings with various stakeholders in the areas involved.
Hierarchies of Rights: Land and Investments in Africa
The main aim of the research program is to analyse how struggles related to large-scale investments into natural resources affect small-holders’ rights to land in Sub-Saharan Africa.
It tests the overall working hypothesis that in developing democratic market economies hierarchies of rights are established over time that structure how struggles related to largescale investments are played out. It analyses struggles over rights through two variables: the type of investment (high/low-value resources) and the distribution of power in society (elite cohesion/ fragmentation). Based on a set of primarily qualitative comparative case study methodologies, the program studies how investments into oil/gas, mining and agriculture in Tanzania and Mozambique affect small-holders’ rights to land. Both countries have experienced a dramatic surge in large-scale investments and, subsequently, political tensions and unrest. Despite similarities between the two countries struggles over land rights produce different outcomes for small-holders. The program will include three south based PhD students and scholars from different academic traditions. This combination will facilitate transfer of skills and knowledge across the participating country teams. The program will provide research, capacity-building, and policy-advice that contribute to strengthening interventions addressing key challenges related to social inclusion, inclusive growth, and political stability in the region.
Leave a Reply
Be the First to Comment!
You must be logged in to post a comment.
You must be logged in to post a comment.