From illegal mining to land grabbing: four stories of restoring land rights in Africa

In sub-Saharan Africa, corruption is often part of people’s everyday interactions with public services, including those related to land, reflecting the experience of one in five citizens. At its core, land corruption occurs when entrusted power is abused for private gain in the administration and management of land – often enabled by broader governance shortcomings and weaknesses in the systems in place.

This can take the shape of double titling in resettlement programmes, land grabbing through the production of fraudulent documentation, abusing gaps linked to inheritance, or corporations carrying out illegal mining operations that affect entire communities.

In many parts of the continent, smallholder farmers, many of whom are women, depend heavily on land for their livelihoods. When unfair or opaque practices lead to forced evictions or displacement, communities risk losing not only their means of living but also the social and cultural ties that connect them through their land.

The impacts are often felt most strongly by communities already marginalised. For instance, people without formal land titles, particularly women or youth in rural areas, who are often the least able to challenge abuses.

Transparency International has worked to support communities affected by land corruption for more than a decade through the Land and Corruption in Africa (LCA) project.

In Zambia, Zimbabwe, Madagascar and Uganda, our Advocacy and Legal Advice Centres (ALACs) – safe spaces for reporting corruption – have helped people understand their rights, available redress mechanisms and engage relevant authorities or community members to resolve disputes. Here are four of those stories.

The farming community of Chinyongola, in Zambia’s Chibombo District, has long relied on its fertile land to sustain livelihoods. But between 2019 and 2021, investors acquired land through a deal approved by the village headman without proper consultation with the families living there. Presented as an aquaculture initiative, community members described the project as a cover up for illegal gold mining.

Transparency International Zambia’s ALAC partnered with the Chibombo District Working Group to organise community awareness sessions and mobile legal clinics, helping residents understand their rights and report grievances.

The case was escalated to district authorities and the Ministry of Mines, which stopped illegal miners and prevented the displacement of 68 families. Authorities also supported the formation of a cooperative so the community could legally benefit from the land’s mineral resources.

Many residents of Cowdray Park, a settlement on the outskirts of Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, are still living with the consequences of Operation Murambatsvina. A national campaign of mass evictions in 2005 ended up demolishing informal homes and businesses. Some families were later resettled through a housing programme, but corruption in land allocation created new challenges. Residents who paid for a housing unit after losing their home faced additional charges. Some community members denounced double allocations with people allegedly selling the same plot to multiple buyers.

Transparency International Zimbabwe organised forums and trainings where residents learned about land allocation procedures. These engagements empowered citizens, especially women, to challenge unfair practices and hold authorities accountable. The mobilisation has contributed to new infrastructure plans and steps toward issuing formal title deeds for homeowners.

In the rural area of Alasora, in Madagascar, a family has owned and cultivated rice on the same plot of land for nearly a century. This has supported not only the family but also employed up to forty farming households from the surrounding community.

Since the 1980s, the family has faced repeated attempts to seize their land. According to the family, individuals have claimed ownership using falsified deeds of sale and fraudulent land titles. In 2022, the situation escalated: the family and the farmers working with them were evicted from the land, facing threats and the destruction of their crops.

Such cases are far from isolated. In Madagascar, land disputes represent between 20 to 30% of civil court cases, often linked to fraud and administrative loopholes.

In Alasora, Transparency International Madagascar documented testimonies, investigated official records and provided legal guidance to the family, helping them pursue redress through courts. The team also produced an investigative video to bring greater visibility to this systemic issue; an initiative which restored a sense of hope in the Alasora community.

A 23-year-old man lost his grandmother, after which her land in Mukono, Uganda, was rapidly encroached upon by a relative asserting ownership. Lacking formal documentation, he and his siblings were forcibly evicted. His story is far from unique: across Uganda, orphans and vulnerable heirs are frequently dispossessed of land by opportunists after the death of a parent or guardian.

Community members report that these cases often involve violence, harassment and are routinely dismissed by local authorities as mere “family matters.”

Transparency International Uganda's ALAC supported a group of paralegals in Mukono District to document such cases and facilitate community-led mediation processes. Upon seeking their assistance, the young man was supported by paralegals who organised several mediation sessions among the involved relatives, ultimately leading to a mutually agreed resolution.

“For me, it wasn’t just land; it was my heritage,” he reflected after the case was settled. This kind of alternative dispute resolution has proven effective in addressing land conflicts at the local level, helping communities navigate inheritance issues as well as other forms of disputes.

The four communities in these stories – farmers in Zambia, residents in Bulawayo, a family in Alasora, a young man in Mukono – did not have powerful allies or formal legal resources. What they had was access to someone who helped them understand their rights and supported them to act. That access is not a small thing. In places where land corruption is routine and justice is slow, it is often the difference between displacement and staying home.