The department of Sandégué in Côte d'Ivoire's Gontougo region has achieved the best results in the implementation of the Land Securitization Reinforcement Program in Rural Areas (PRESFOR). As of September 2026, Sandégué has validated 147,000 hectares, accounting for 73.5% of the region's intermediate target of 200,000 hectares. This progress was presented at the 4th review meeting of PRESFOR activities in Dimandougou.
The meeting, attended by administrative authorities, village chiefs, and other stakeholders, highlighted Sandégué's significant lead over other departments in the region. Tanda has validated 18,416 hectares, while Koun-Fao has 6,679 hectares. Notably, no validations have been recorded in Transua as of the meeting date. The success of Sandégué was attributed to the active involvement of local populations in the land securitization process.
Préfect Gbey Gué Antoine praised the populations for their mobilization and collaboration with PRESFOR teams, which contributed to the achieved results. député Ouattara Aboubakar also commended the performance, urging communities to sustain their efforts to complete the process. He encouraged them to overcome challenges related to territorial boundaries and land disputes to facilitate further delineation operations.
Despite the progress, the meeting identified land disputes, particularly those related to village territorial boundaries, as a major obstacle to accelerating the process. These disputes require concertations between parties before result validation. Lekadou Kanon, departmental head of the Rural Land Agency (AFOR), presented the state of activities and called on local actors to maintain their mobilization.
The 4th review meeting allowed stakeholders to assess progress in various Gontougo departments and identify challenges to overcome for accelerated validations under PRESFOR. With the program's deadline approaching, stakeholders are working to address the remaining issues. The involvement of local communities is deemed crucial to the success of the land securitization efforts.
To achieve the set targets, député Ouattara Aboubakar pledged to take initiatives with stakeholders to help remove identified obstacles. He emphasized the need for collaboration to resolve land disputes and enable the continuation of delineation operations. The PRESFOR program aims to enhance land security in rural areas, promoting sustainable development and reducing conflicts.
The land securitization process in Sandégué and other Gontougo departments is ongoing, with stakeholders working to validate the remaining hectares. The progress achieved so far demonstrates the effectiveness of the PRESFOR program and the commitment of local populations to securing their land rights. Further efforts are needed to ensure the program's success and achieve the set targets.
Key points
- Sandégué department has validated 147,000 hectares under PRESFOR, accounting for 73.5% of the region's intermediate target.
