FAO Calls for speedy consolidation of the country’s land acts

The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) country representative to Namibia, Dr Babagana Ahmadu, has called on government to finalise the consolidation of the Ag- ricultural Land Reform Act and the Communal Land Reform Act. Both acts will be consolidated to become one Land Act, but discussions around the matter are still at the bill stage.

Ahmadu made a call during the launch of the report titled “Study into Agricultural Land Prices in Namibia” on Monday.  The report was funded by FAO at the cost of about US dollars 200 000 (about N$ 2.5 million).

He said the results of the study will enrich policy debate on ways to accelerate land distribution as a vehicle for poverty alleviation. I am privileged to have an insight into the recommendations of the land prices study and I find them a valuable resource for technocrats and policy-maker alike.

“I will not dwell the recommendations of the study; suffice it to say that they will remain a good reference for future strategies on land acquisition and distribution  in  Namibia,”  Ahmadu  stressed.  He said the ‘voluntary guidelines’, which was endorsed  during  the World Food Security workshop in 2012, recognised that food security for the ever-growing world’s population depends on equitable secure access to land as factor of production.  Ahmadu said the ‘voluntary guidelines’ represents the first global consensus on universally applicable standards for promotion of secure tenure rights and equitable access to land, fisheries and forest as a means of eradicating hunger and poverty and supporting sustainable development.

He said the land prices study was conducted within the framework of the ‘voluntary guidelines’ and to support Namibia’s demonstrated and well-established principles of responsible governance of land. Ahmadu urged the government, through the Ministry of Land and Resettlement to be an active partner in the implementation of the ‘voluntary guidelines’ on the responsible governance of tenure of land, fisheries and forests.

“I look forward to the implementation of recommendations of the land prices study which is one the important initiatives of the Ministry of Lands and Resettlement in recent years.” he said.

NAMPA