The Ministry of Natural Resources (MINIRENA) and the National Land Commission in partnership with LandNet Rwanda Chapter, organized a workshop on Expropriation and Related Disputes Management Process, which was held on November 13th 2008, in Kigali.

Since July 14th, 2005, the Government of Rwanda (GoR) is implementing an Organic Land Law (OLL) that aims at strengthening security of tenure of all Rwandans as a basis for ensuring greater social stability and sustainable development. One important component of the OLL, is article 3, which provides for expropriation in the public interest, settlement, and general land management. The expropriation procedures are provided for in the Law No.18/2007, of 19/04/2007, relating to expropriation in the public interest.

However, experience has shown that, if not properly planned and managed, expropriation can be a source of conflict. Therefore, it is in this context, that the workshop was organized in order to present to stakeholders the existing expropriation procedures, and to share experiences from the ongoing expropriation processes, with view of soliciting further recommendations.

The workshop was jointly coordinated by the National Land Center and RISD.