M'mbelwa council urge communities to formalize land ownership

By Victoria Yande

The Department of Lands and Public Works at M'mbelwa District Council has emphasized the importance of community involvement in understanding and accepting the new land laws, which offer numerous benefits, including secured land ownership in the district.

Formalize land ownership- Chitete Pic Victoria Yande

The Director of Lands and Public Works, Allan Chitete made the remarks during an interface meeting organized by Mzimba Youth Organisation on Thursday with funding from the Legal Empowerment Fund and the International Land Coalition, highlighting the collaborative efforts to promote land ownership among communities.

Chitete highlighted the initiative aims to educate communities about the benefits and processes involved in land ownership, ultimately contributing to sustainable development and improved livelihoods.

Chitete emphasized that many communities lack awareness about land ownership, highlighting the need for sensitization initiatives.

Additionally, he stressed the importance of providing communities with land documents or certificates to formalize their land ownership.

"The community lack awareness about land ownership. But this is a good initiative and they should ensure they formalize and secure their land,' said Chitete.

Secretary General for Mzimba Urban Chiefs,

Wyted Nyirenda, emphasized the importance of a bottom-up approach in implementing new land laws, starting with chiefs taking action and accepting these laws which will help reduce land conflicts in the district.

Nyirenda highlighted that currently, most communities lack land ownership, with only chiefs holding ownership rights.

"This has led to a system where community members are merely subjects, causing conflicts among communities, we stressed the need for women and youths to have land rights, as this would improve food security and drive district development," he said.

Executive Director for Mzimba Youth organisation, Moses Nkhana said supporting community access to land ownership, the project aligns with the International Land Coalition's principles, which include recognizing and protecting diverse tenure and production systems, ensuring gender justice in relation to land, and promoting transparency and accountability.

The new land laws, implemented in 2022, aim to address these issues by prohibiting the sale of customary estates and payment of registration fees for customary estate registrations, unless owned by a company