(Ecofin Agency) - Agricultural lands in Cote d’Ivoire will from now on be protected under constitutional law, President Ouattara told parliamentarians on Oct. 5, 2016, as draft proposal for a new constitution was being presented.

“It has been established that only the State, public collectivities and Ivorian nationals can get rural land with all rights guaranteed,” the Head of State said, according to AIP.

If passed, the new act should help improve land tenure for Ivorian rural populations. It should also send a strong message to multinational companies (operating in the agro-business especially) which have recently, by their thirst for agricultural lands, pushed the International Criminal Court to categorize land grabbing as a crime against humanity.

Souha Touré