(Ecofin Agency) - On the sidelines of a symposium organized in Dakar, Prof. Samir Amin said land grabbing contributed in a great part to African nations’ slow development.

Denouncing a type of globalization that disadvantages “small” economies, the French-Egyptian scholar said Africa’s growth lies in farming which must be backed by solid land reforms.

“The general development trend of capitalism is based on the expropriation of the majority of villagers resulting in their emigration to cities or outside the country, or to both simultaneously. This line of development supported by the World Bank, the European Union, by everybody, is a dead-end because a persistent desertion of African villages would give rise to slums,” said the Third World Forum’s director and President of the Global Alternative Forum.

Prof. Amin’s concern is explained by the alarming expansion of land grabs, in Africa especially which is considered as the new Eldorado of agro-industrial multinational companies. In a report released on Oct. 11, 2016, entitled “Land Matrix Analytical Report II: International Land Deals for Agriculture”, Land Matrix revealed that since 2000, African countries have recorded 422 land deals, representing 42% of total registered in the world.

Souha Touré