Access to Land Ownership by Youths in Cameroon 1974 To 2026: “Implications to Livelihood”

Land is a vital resource that human beings need for sustenance. Issues of secured access to land control and management has been a perennial problem to youths that depends on land for survival. Ethnic heterogeneity, complex historical events and cultural diversity have made land tenure to vary both in their ancient and contemporary manifestations. The right to land and the extent to which youths can have secured access to land can only go as far as the law permits. This paper seeks to examine the land reforms in Cameroon and its implications to secured access to land by youths, taking in to cognizance the recent government policy to encourage second generation agriculture with focused to reduce youth unemployment. A qualitative and quantitative research protocol was explored where data was collected using primary and secondary sources to better understand the dynamics of access to land by youths and the implications to their livelihood. The findings reveals that Secured access to land by youths in Cameroon is a problem as the 1974 land ordinance does not give room for the youth to have access to land Certificate. The ordinance reveals that those born after 1974 cannot have access to land certificate in which the land certificate is the only official document that secure land ownership. Youths therefore occupy land under national domain in which the state is the guardian of land in this domain. Land under this domain is open for concessions and expropriation by investors. The government policies of encouraging second generation agriculture and youths to embark on agriculture as a source of livelihood have raise concerns on secured access to land by the youths in Cameroon. The paper recommends the need for an inclusive land law reform that takes into cognizance the rights of youths on secured access to land in Cameroon.

Ownership, Land, Youths, Livelihood

1. Cotula Lorenzo and Payo Mathieu (2008), Legal empowerment in practice: Using legal tools to secure land rights in Africa, London, FAO/IIED,pp. 79-80. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

2. Cotula Lorenzo (2007), Changes in 'customary' land tenure systems in Africa, London, International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED), p .120. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

3. Fonjong, Lortsmart et al(2008), Large Scale Land Acquisition: Implications for Women’s Land Right in Cameroon, Canada, International Development Research Centre, p.97. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

4. Ministry of State Property and LandTenure(2008), Land Tenure and State Lands in Cameroon: Laws and Ordinances, Decrees and orders, Circulars and instructions, Yaoundé, Pp.58-60. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

5. Taylor, Charles et al(2012), Land rights and the Rush for land: Findings on the Global Commercial Pressure on land Research project, Rome, International land coalition, pp. 25-28. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

6. Njoh Victor(1996) History of Cameroon since 1800, Limbe, Pressbook, p. 96. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

7. Schuter Olivier(2010),Tainted Land: Corruption in Large Scale Land Deals, Cambridge university press,USA, Pp.91-97. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

8. Nguiffo, Samuel and Watio, Michel (2015), Agro Industrial Investments in Cameroon: Large Scale and acquisition since 2005, London International Institute of Environment and Development,Pp.44-46. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

9. Toulmin Calvin and Julian Quan,(2006) Better Land Access for the Rural Communities: Lessons from Experience and Challenges Ahead, London, International Institute for Environment and Development, p.70. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

10. Ndedi, Alain (2015), “Second Generation Agriculture Development in Cameroon: Are we not empowering the wrong people?”, Food politics and Sociology journal,p.233. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

11. Ahidjo, Paul (2012), “Access to Land and the System of Land Ownership in North Cameroon” Journal of Knowledge Management, Economics and Information Technology,p.3. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

12. Sone, Patience (2012),“Conflict over Land Ownership: The case of Farmers and Cattle Graziers in the North West Region of Cameroon”. African Journal on Conflict Resolution Volume 12(1),pp. 83-101. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

13. Ngum, et al (2014), “Small Holder Farmers access and Rights to Land: The Case of Njombe in the Littoral Region of Cameroon”, Afrika focus volume 27, pp.32-39. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

14. Sobseh Emmanuel (2011), “Land Tenure and Land Conflicts in the North West Region of Cameroon: a Historical Perspective”, Ph.D thesis in History, University of Yaoundé I. p.112 [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

15. Ntoko, Rene(2018), The Acquisition and Ownership of Land In Cameroon, Masters Dissertation,University of YaoundéII, p.50-53. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

16. Sone Patience (2011), “The concept of equality and access to land: The case of the Anglophone region of Cameroon”, PhD Thesis in Law, University of Buea, Pp. 180-182. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

17. Molua Henry (1985) “The Bakweri Land Problem 1884-1961”: A Case Study, M.A. Dissertation in History, University of Ibadan, p.40. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

18. Lucien Nayssi (2017), “The Implications of Poor Land Governance on the Reduction of Rural Poverty in Cameroon”, Transparency International, Cameroon, Presented on the World Bank Conference on Land and Poverty.p.5. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

19. Kwame Yeboah (2019), “Youths, Access to land, Migration and employment Opportunities: Evidence from Sub Saharan Africa”, Rural investment Report, IFAD, p.48. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

20. Fombe Lawrence, Lotsmart Fonjong and Irene Sama Lang(2015), “The Impact of Land Tenure Practices on Womens Right to Land in Anglophone Cameroon and Implications on Sustainable Development”, Final Technical Report University of Buea, p.34. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

21. Decree No. 2005/481 of 16 December 2005 to amend and supplement some provisions of Decree No. 76/165 of 27 April 1976 to establish the conditions for obtaining land certificate. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

22. Ordinance no 74-1 provides that the state shall be the guardian of all lands with an intervening capacity; That only five categories qualify individual rights over land as private pro Ordinance no 74-1 provides that the state shall be the guardian of all lands with an intervening capacity; that only five categories qualify individual rights over land as private property, land registration being the principal category. The transit period is five years, land registration being the principal category. The transit period is five years. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

23. Losch, Brain, Structural Transformation to Boost youth Labour Demand in Sub-Saharan Africa: The role of agriculture, rural areas and territorial development.” Employment Working Paper No. 204. ILO,Employment Policy Department. http://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/--ed_emp/documents/publication/wcms_533993.pdf. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

24. Mangiafico,Maria, Exploring the Youth Dimensions of the Global Land Agenda. Global Land Tool Network Expert Group Meeting Workshop Report, 24–25 January 2012, Centre for Land Tenure Studies (CLTS UMB), Ås, Norway, Norwegian University of Life Sciences. http://www.umb.no/statisk/clts/exploring_the_youth_dimensions_of_the_global_land_agenda_meetingreport.pdf [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

25. IFAD, “Improving access to land and tenure security: Policy”. International Fund for Agricultural Devel¬opment: Palombi e Lanci, Rome.p. 42. webpage; http://www.ifad.org/pub/policy/land/e.pdf [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

• Agarwood: A Fragrant Link between India and Southeast Asia
• Pens of Protest: Malayalam Press in the Freedom Struggle
• Long-Term Trends of Temperature and Rainfall in Sivakasi: A Climatic Assessment (1980–2025)
• Iran’s Forgotten Friend William Morgan Shuster: Victim of Anglo-Russian Conspiracy
• The (Moordkop) Murder Hill Massacre 1830: A Historical Analysis of the Griqua-Ndebele Conflict