Struggles over Land and Authority in Africa

This article reviews major changes in policies and practices of land allocation and use in sub-Saharan Africa since ca 1990, using two comparative case studies to illustrate their implications for relations between local and national authority. One case contrasts Ghana, where intense local conflicts over land and authority did not translate into political conflict at the national level, with Cote d'Ivoire, where they did. The other compares political strategies and the influence of traditional chiefs in Ghana and South Africa.