ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the African Union initiative – Network of Excellence on Land Governance in Africa (NELGA) – on the relevance of local knowledge in land governance in Bamako (Mali) as an example of decolonisation. The research is carried out to answer the question: to what extent can endogenous knowledge on land governance be decolonised through higher education? NELGA is a partner of leading African universities and research institutions with proven leadership in education, training, and research on land governance. The network set itself the objective to promote ‘good’ land governance by strengthening human and institutional capacities for the implementation of sustainable land policies in Africa. Decolonisation evokes in this paper the fact that the legal framework of Mali's State's Land Code (code domanial et foncier) is not in line with the land regulations of Malian communities. The State's Land Code is considered strange and foreign because it is mainly influenced by colonial legislation and reinforced by the independent postcolonial state. Against this backdrop, political reform in a society rejecting the socio-cultural realities rooted in this society for the benefit of foreign models of governance is the reproach of the supporters of Nko, who also campaign in civil societies.
