Abstract

Almost 40 years of war in Angola forced millions of people fleeing rural areas to seek a safe haven in the capital and to settle in informal slum settlements (musseques) on the periphery of Luanda. The new urban migrants created homes and settlements on land that they purchased in good faith but for which they could get no legal title. Now, they face eviction threats due to commercial interests and government infrastructure expansion. With a population today approaching of over six million, Luanda is Africa’s fastest growing and fifth largest city. A decade of post-war rapid economic growth, fuelled by rising commodity prices, has seen GDP per capita grow eightfold, but poverty reduction has not kept apace. The poor, representing over 50 % of the population, have benefited little from the ‘peace dividend’. The Angolan Government has promised to build one million homes country-wide before the 2012 elections and aims to eliminate much of the musseque in the process. However, the government’s urban plans remain hindered by a weak administration and little national implementation capacity. Despite the government’s assertion as the unique owner and manager of all land, there exists a thriving real-estate market for both formal (titled) and informally occupied land. Most urban residents with weak or non-existent tenure rights benefit little from increasing land values and are susceptible to being forcibly removed and increasingly obliged to occupy environmentally risky flood-prone areas. This paper presents the results of work on property markets in Luanda that permit a better understanding of the nature and economic value of land and identify the problems and potentials the market has to offer. The paper argues for a major reform in public land policy, recognising the legitimacy of common practices in land acquisition and long-term occupation in good faith. Inclusive land management, adapting to both formal and existing informal markets, can contribute to the improvement of urban settlement conditions and economic wellbeing of the poor in post-war Luanda.

Highlights

  • Luanda is home to more than six million people and growing; the city confronts unique challenges in managing land assets essential for housing and for economic development

  • Years of conflict have forced millions of people into the capital region to settle in informal slum settlements on the periphery of the city

  • The Angolan Government has adopted an ambitious policy of promoting the building of one million homes country-wide before the 2012 elections and aims to eliminate much of the musseque settlement in the process

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Summary

Introduction

Luanda is home to more than six million people and growing; the city confronts unique challenges in managing land assets essential for housing and for economic development. Years of conflict have forced millions of people into the capital region to settle in informal slum settlements (musseques) on the periphery of the city. The government reaffirmed its authority as the primary manager of land and the state as the original owner of all land resources. Like Mozambique, inherited their legal framework from the Portuguese Civil Code, which did not adapt to African land tenure practice—based on a traditional concept of community occupation under customary law. Laws published in 1991 and 2004 affirmed the colonial cadastre as the basis of land titling, further weakening traditional land claims. The concept of customary tenure was reintroduced to the 2004 Law, but this concept has not been adequately defined nor legally regulated with the publication of bylaws

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