Land investments, accountability and the law: lessons from Cameroon

The recent wave of land deals for agribusiness investments has highlighted the widespread demand for greater accountability in the governance of land and investment. Legal frameworks influence opportunities for accountability, and recourse to law has featured prominently in grassroots responses to the land deals.

Drawing on legal and anthropological field research in Cameroon, this report interrogates the legal and socio-political context in which large-scale land acquisitions are taking place in the country. It explores how investments are decided and implemented, takes stock of what recourse mechanisms are available to local communities and provides recommendations for improvement.

This project has been produced under IIED’s Legal tools for citizen empowerment project.