By Hamad Rashid
The Youth Initiative for Land in Africa (YILAA), through its Land for Youth: Innovate, Secure and Thrive project, has introduced an innovative digital solution aimed at enhancing young people’s understanding of land issues in Tanzania. The initiative uses a legal and policy-based approach delivered through the KANUNI App, which is accessible on smartphones.
This innovation was presented during an online training organized by YILAA, on the second day of the training, which focused on Land Governance and Innovation for Youth, Director of the Indigenous program from YILAA, Joshua Laizer explained that KANUNI provides easy access to land-related laws and policies governing land use and ownership. He further noted that the application enables users to access land regislation information directly through their smartphones.
KANUNI App
However, YILAA through that project supported by the AU-EU Youth Lab Action has developed a complementary digital platform known as ARDHI-HUB, the platform designed by YILAA to promote equitable access to land, support youth empowerment, and contribute to a more resilient and inclusive future.
Speaking about ARDHI-HUB, Joshua Laizer emphasized that the platform guarantees young people access to official land information and legitimate land opportunities, also the tool plays a critical role in reducing land conflicts, evictions, and land-related disputes. Inside the ARDHI-HUB people can access the KANUNI App APK, to download and install.
During the closing session of the training, the Executive Director of YILAA, Innocent Antoine Houedji, called upon young participants to act as ambassadors for land rights within their communities.
“I call upon the participants to use the knowledge gained from this training and turn it into action,” he said.
He further encouraged all participants and young people across the country to register on ARDHI-HUB and download the KANUNI App to access land laws and policies in Tanzania.
Innocent Antoine Houedji: The Executive Director of YILAA Africa
In addition, the training brought together 146 participants from different regions of Tanzania from 9 to 11 February 2026. Its objective was to raise awareness, build capacity, and equip participants with up-to-date knowledge on land governance in Africa, with particular emphasis on technological innovation and gender inclusion.
The Land for Youth: Innovate, Secure and Thrive project focuses to empower youth with the knowledge, tool, and networks needed to secure land rights and participate in land governance, the project began implementation in June 2025 and will phase out in April 2026.
Abeid Sharif Ngata is among the training participants, he commended YILAA for introducing the program for Tanzanian youth and noted that its activities will bring positive change to Tanzania.
On the first day of the training, the English-speaking countries manager from YILAA Deborah Oyugi, facilitated a session on Introduction to Land Governance. Her presentation covered the purpose and importance of land governance, current challenges in Africa, land use opportunities for today’s youth, and the role of young people in land governance processes.
Delivering key messages and takeaways, Deborah emphasized that land governance is not merely a technical issue but one deeply rooted in power and inclusion. She noted that secure, fair, and affordable access to land for youth is essential, stressing that investing in youth land access is equivalent to investing in food security, stability, and economic growth.
The third and final day of the training focused on Land Governance and Gender and was facilitated by the Director of the YILAA Training Center, Marcel Loyd Minka.
Group photo session during the online training via Zoom
