Why it's difficult to change planning laws in African countries?
Berrisford, Stephen
Since most African' countries became independent there has been a concern amongst officials, professionals and international development agencies that better planning laws are needed. In this context the term planning laws refers to the body of laws (national statutes, ministerial proclamations, state/provincial laws and local by‐laws or regulations) that govern both the making of spatial plans at a city, town, village or district level as well as the regulation of land use and land development. This concern has very seldom translated into new law that has been implemented successfully or, where there has been implementation it has not been for the purposes originally envisaged for that law. In many cases the planning law inherited from the earlier colonial power remains on the statute books, largely unchanged. In both the cases where new law has been enacted and where the old law remains in force there have been increasingly publicised cases of governments using those laws to justify large‐scale eviction and demolition campaigns. The legislation has also been unable to check excessive developments driven by the private sector. Planning law thus has tended to have the effect of being no more than an irritant to developers but an oppressive force for the poor, without yielding any significant societal benefits.
Event: Annual Bank Conference on Land Policy and Administration
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