Towards effective indigenous environmental justice in Africa : challenges and pathways for reform

Abstract

Indigenous communities across Africa face profound environmental injustices. These injustices arise from extractive industries, climate change, and government systems that exclude Indigenous voices. They manifest in displacement from ancestral lands, pollution of water sources, destruction of sacred sites, and marginalisation in environmental decision-making processes.These realities highlight the persistent gap between legal recognition of environmental rights and their practical realisation for Indigenous communities.

This Policy Brief presents the key findings and recommendations from the webinar themed “Indigenous Environmental Justice : Challenges and Pathways for Reform in Africa,” convened by the Centre for Environmental Justice in Africa in partnership with Natural Justice on 29 September 2025.