Foreign investors, local communities: Who benefits from Zambia’s land?

A resettlement specialist, Sunday Mumba Chiteta, has backed calls by members of the public to reduce the term of leasehold for foreigners. Act No. 29 of 1995 stipulates that a foreigner may not own land, but they can secure a long-term leasehold of up to 99 years.

A clause in the law that has been heavily criticized. Speaking in an interview with the Zambian Business Times—ZBT, Chiteta observed that individuals and chiefs have been selling land to foreigners indiscriminately, a status quo that has fueled disputes and sometimes displacements.

During a consultative meeting organized by the Zambia Law Development Agency, some members of the public called for the reduction of the lease from 99 to 25 years and possibly 15 years.

“Over the years there have been a lot of changes in terms of land; there is a need to expedite the reforms to meet modern times because we have witnessed the indiscriminate sale of huge pieces of land to foreigners by traditional leaders as well as individuals that have title,” he revealed.

Chiteta, who is also a valuation surveyor at Global Properties Consultants, questioned the statistic that 70 percent of the land is customary and called for a fresh survey regarding the prevailing conditions.