In this episode, we unpack a powerful new report that challenges the long-standing “vacant land” narrative being used to justify land grabs and dispossession across Africa. The report exposes how land labeled as “empty” or “unused” is, in reality, home to thriving communities, indigenous peoples, pastoralists, and small-scale farmers whose land use systems are often ignored or deliberately erased.

We explore how this misleading narrative fuels large-scale land acquisitions for agribusiness, extractive industries, conservation projects, and infrastructure development—often at the expense of local livelihoods, culture, and environmental sustainability. Drawing on evidence from the report and voices from affected communities, the discussion highlights the human rights implications of land dispossession and calls for land governance models that ...