A new land policy aligned with the 7th National Development Plan (7NDP) will be in place before the end of the year, said Zambian Lands Minister Jean Kapata.
The minister said the revised policy will enhance equitable access, sustainable utilisation and security of tenure, especially in rural communities.
“We are determined to ensure that Zambia has a national land policy before the end of the year, as substantive progress has been made to finalise the process,” she said in a ministerial statement to parliament.
Zambia has a double tenure system: statutory land which is administered – in accordance with the written law – by government officials, while customary land is handled by traditional authorities using unwritten and local customs. This arrangement makes it easier to acquire customary land through traditional leaders. However, the land acquired is unsecured for long-term investment and not titled. There is also a high prevalence of illegality and bureaucracy pertaining to statutory land acquisition.
Kapata said the challenges in land administration are constraining social-economic development.
“Land played an important role in improving the social and economic welfare of Zambians and must be properly administered,” she said.
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