State land ownership in the face of land reform in DR Congo

In the process of land reform undertaken in Congo-Kinshasa, one of the controversial issues is that relating to state land ownership enshrined in the law of 20 July 1973. An option must be made between maintaining this principle, which is in line with traditional philosophy, and abolishing it, as suggested by certain authors and NGOs. Taking the side of those who advocate the maintenance of the principle of State land ownership, the author begins by tracing the evolution of the Congolese land tenure system from the time of the Independent State of Congo to the advent of the 1973 land law. He then presents the arguments of those who call for the abolition of the principle of state land ownership before pointing out their weakness and drawing attention to the danger of abolishing this principle. The content of the book is useful for parliamentarians, government officials and civil society organizations in the Congo, NGOs and international organizations, as well as for all researchers interested in land issues in Africa.