Institut Agronomique et Vétérinaire Hassan II

The “Institut Agronomique et Vétérinaire Hassan II” (IAV), based in Rabat, Morocco, is one of the leading training and research institutions in the domain of land governance in Northern Africa. Within the IAV, the School of Geomatics Sciences and Topographic Engineering (SGIT – Sciences Géomatiques et Ingénierie Topographique) is continuously strengthening its curricula development in accordance with the Bologna process. The school has also developed an extended network of institutions, ministries, private sector and public agencies throughout the region. Against this background, IAV has been selected as the regional Node for Eastern Africa.

The regional NELGA node was established through a consultative workshop held in Rabat on 28 and 29 March 2017. Since then it has been coordinated by SGIT.

Our Result

Research

To improve the body of contemporary research work for policy reform on land governance in Africa, the node carried out a scoping study to gather baseline information on land systems in North Africa. The research provided data on the capacity gaps and needs for creating an enabling environment for land reforms in Algeria, Tunisia, Mauritania, Morocco, Egypt, and Sudan. The research findings launched in 2021 provide a foundation for curricula development in line with AU curricula guidelines on land governance in Africa and led to the establishment of the NELGA Research Centre in March 2021.

Capacity Building

At IAV Hassan II, the node set up and equipped a Capacity Building Centre (CBC) to address the capacity gaps identified in the regional scoping study. An objective of the CBC is to enhance the skills of a new generation of land experts in order to tackle land governance and systemic challenges. Furthermore, to support continuous professional development, the node developed e-tools for learning (digital library, assessment systems, learning portals, webinars) for audiences other than typical land governance experts.

Policy Reform

The node’s bi-monthly African Journal in Land Policy and Geospatial Sciences specialises in African researchers’ multi-sectorial achievements and scientific contributions. The journal is an essential source of information on data for policy reforms for policymakers and academics. To date, the journal has issued over ten editions since 2018.