Decolonising African Soil?

Late 2025 Africa has taken a step towards decolonising African soil for sustainable development, food security, and environmental protection when the Pan-African Parliament (PAP) adopted the continent’s first Model Law (ML) on Sustainable Soil Management. This law shall now provide 55 African Union (AU) member countries with a legal framework and toolkit to safeguard their soils and strengthen resilience to climate change. Grounded in 11 country studies from across the continent, which examined existing soil legislation and governance systems, the ML was designed to guide AU Member States in developing or strengthening national legislation and policies. The ML could even serve other regions of the Global South, offering implementation pathways adaptable to diverse legal systems. Oliver Ruppel, Research Centre for Climate Protection Law (‘Clim:Law:Graz’), University of Graz and professor at Stellenbosch University, South Africa, provides firsthand insights on legal, political and diplo