New land reforms to spur economic growth and social harmony

New land reforms to spur economic growth and social harmony

BY GEORGE KAGAME

Government today launched the first phase of land tenure reforms stating that the new changes in land ownership and management would increase investments throughout the country.

Stanislas Kamanzi the minister of Lands, environment, forests, water and mines said the reforms are part of Rwanda’s mechanism for registering land titles and the proper use to ensure long equity in land ownership among all Rwandans.

The reforms are part funded by government and British aid organization, FID-Department of Foreign and International Development who have been funding land reforms in the country since 2002 spending Frw 3billion since then.
The reforms started off with the passing of the National Land Policy passed in 2004, and were amended by the launching of Organic Land Law in 2005.


Sandra Pepera said upon its completion, the land reforms in the country will stimulate investments and growth because it caters for the rights and protection of especially vulnerable groups in the country. She added that reforms would also help in resolving disputes in communities and promoting social harmony.
Pepera further said the whole land regularization would need 40m USD to be completed in the next five years. She called upon Rwanda’s other donor partners to contribute to the process.

Land issues have been a thorn to both local and national leaders in the country, in the Eastern province it took President Paul Kagame’s personal intervention in resolving matters connected to unequal distribution of land.

In large parts of the province, senior security officials had acquired large portions of land making many peasants landless and reducing them to squatters. Currently there are, according to the ministry of lands, 7.5 million plots of land in the country serving a population expected to be above 10 million now.

In the first phase of the land tenure reforms launched today, Kamanzi said the government will ensure that land owners are given their titles and guarantee security of these titles, leasing arrangements for land owners ranging between 29 to 99 years, and strengthening the existing district land commissions. He added that the second phase would begin in March 2009.