Land tenure reform should be treated as a key economic transformation initiative that can unlock the value of Zimbabwe’s agricultural land, Land Tenure Implementation Committee (LTIC) chairman Dr Kuda Tagwirei has said.
Speaking at a high-level stakeholder breakfast meeting in Harare, Dr Tagwirei said secure land rights could stimulate investment, improve farmers’ access to financing, increase productivity and strengthen household incomes.
“Land tenure reform is not merely an administrative process; it is an economic transformation programme,” he said.
He said Government had already surveyed approximately 4.2 million hectares as part of efforts to establish a modern and efficient land administration system.
The reforms have also resulted in a 62.6 percent reduction in traditional large-scale commercial agricultural holdings, while the number of small-scale farming holdings has increased.
Dr Tagwirei said the Presidential Title Deeds Programme was helping transform occupation rights into formal ownership through the issuance of title deeds to eligible beneficiaries.
“As of 24 August, we had surveyed 27 045 plots and mapped 10 231 to their beneficiaries,” he said.
He added that 1 824 agreements of sale had been completed, representing a combined value of approximately US$110 million.
According to Dr Tagwirei, the reform programme is being guided by six principles outlined by President Emmerson Mnangagwa simplicity, accessibility, transparency, predictability, digitisation and accountability.
“The landholder must experience one coordinated journey, from survey and evaluation, through to agreement, payment and registration of the deed itself,” he said.
The proposed one-stop processing system is expected to strengthen the administration of agricultural land while reducing cases of double allocations, boundary disputes and illegal evictions. It will also provide mechanisms through which affected parties can seek redress.
Dr Tagwirei said formalised land ownership would make agricultural land more attractive to financial institutions and investors.
“Secure tenure makes land bankable; bankable land attracts investment; investment raises productivity; and productivity delivers household and national prosperity,” he said.
He said the programme could generate a US$16.8 billion development fund through payments made by farmers. The funds are expected to contribute towards compensation, debt reduction, infrastructure development, agricultural financing and reserves.
Dr Tagwirei said the proposed fund would ensure that the benefits of land reform extend beyond individual landholders and contribute to broader economic development.
He urged stakeholders to view the reforms as an opportunity to drive economic growth rather than simply as a mechanism for managing risks associated with land ownership.
The meeting also featured contributions from senior Government officials, who discussed legal certainty, agricultural commercialisation, urban land management and the role of financial institutions in unlocking the economic value of titled land.