Zambia To Ban Foreigners Owning Land

The Zambian government has proposed to ban the ownership of land by foreigners. The government is also seeking to review existing long term leases and the land in question cannot be disposed of, sold or exchanged without prior consultation with and approval by the government.

In its draft policy unveiled by Lands Minister Jean Kapata, the government hopes to regulate access to land by non-Zambians.

The state wants to restrict ownership of land, both state and customary to Zambians only.

If the policy is adopted, it will only provide for sub-leasing and or renting of land only by non Zambians.

This is the first comprehensive land policy framework since Zambia’s independence.

The draft policy also seeks to introduce and implement stringent change of land use conditions for both Zambian and non-Zambian owned companies to curb the proliferation of unfinished investment projects, land hoarding and land speculation as well as the indiscriminate disposal of land for profit.

It also seeks to introduce and implement limitations and ceilings on the amount of land allocated for use by a single foreign investor.