Rights to Resources Interactive Map
The Rights to Resources interactive map presents information on citizen and community rights to natural resources in sub-Saharan Africa. National framework laws for each of the 49 countries in the region were reviewed to answer eleven questions about local use rights to five natural resources: water, trees, wildlife, minerals, and petroleum.
Natural resources underpin many national economies in sub-Saharan Africa. They are also critical to the livelihoods and well-bring of rural families and local communities. In most of the region, formal rights to land do not include many rights to the natural resources that are on or below the surface of the land. High-value natural resources are often vested in the state and governed by separate statutory frameworks. With the rising global demand for Africa's natural resources, a clear understanding of the statutory rights to these resources can help a broad range of stakeholders. The information on the map can help:
- Citizens and communities gain clarity on their legal rights to natural resources and press for change;
- Civil society and development assistance agencies to create better strategies for change;
- Governments compare property rights regimes across natural resources and countries; and
- Companies and their investors make more informed investment decisions.
Download the data set (Excel format).