Aimed at supporting the government’s initiative to overhaul its land policy, the Land Sector Review comes in response to a request received from the Minister for Land Affairs while a Congolese delegation was taking part in the Annual World Bank Conference on Land and Poverty 2014. This report coincides with the government’s efforts to reactivate CONAREF. The Land Sector Review is intended to contribute to the studies planned by CONAREF since 2013 to establish the analytical basis for the design of new land policy orientations. Its objective is to provide a snapshot of the various aspects of the Congolese land sector in urban and rural areas and focus in particular on the duality which is its key feature, i.e., the existence of various social land management practices alongside the formal administrative system. This snapshot of the land sector, a good grasp of the current constraints and an inventory of innovative experiences will help to put together recommendations concerning land policy orientations. The report explores the historical background to land policy and territorial organization, an overview of the Congolese land sector and some innovative land management initiatives. The report recommends an adjustment of the ambitions and timing of land reform, revision of the legal framework, to streamline the administrative frameworks, Involve local communities in agricultural and forestry investments, and to develop training in the new land-related disciplines.
