Radio stations promoting land management in Madagascar

The agenda for this new workshop included issues concerning land management and the governance of extractive mining industries. In the course of the four days, journalists from the radio stations taking part in the Citizens' Dialogues discussed the respective role of the various Malagasy public figures in policies relating to land and mining extraction.

In the presence of CSO members (FIFATA, Solidarités des Intervenants sur le Foncier), local authorities and political representatives, stakeholders reflected on the challenges facing Madagascar: what kind of land policy governance should be applied to facilitate wider ownership and to ensure equitable land distribution?
How can land protection be a factor in and lever for economic development?
How can customary law and the rule of law coexist in land dispute resolution?

This workshop gave journalists an opportunity to gain a more in-depth understanding of the cultural, economic, institutional and juridico-legal context of these issues. To close the session, they worked on devising outreach microprogrammes aimed at disseminating information amongst populations in the zones covered and helping such people understand the challenges and consequences of land policies, assert their rights and play more of a role in taking the decisions that concern them.
The objective is also to encourage collaborative actions between the media and CSOs to promote a citizen dynamic at local level and to put in place frameworks for dialogue and debate on these matters.