Rédaction Africa Links 24 with Times News
Published on 2024-03-20 05:34:41
The Ministry of Lands in Malawi is undergoing significant reforms by devolving its functions from the central level to local councils. The Ministry’s principal secretary, Davie Chilonga, revealed that this move is part of the government’s overall land reforms strategy. This decision was made following the approval of the ministry’s devolution plan and function review by both the Office of the President and Cabinet and the Department of Human Resource Management and Development in April 2023.
One of the key aspects of this devolution process includes transferring responsibilities such as local land use planning, land surveying, registration of land parcels, granting of leases, and payment of ground rent from the central level to the local councils. Chilonga emphasized that this approach aims to address the challenges people face when accessing various land administration services.
By decentralizing land administration, clients will no longer have to travel long distances to regional offices or the ministry headquarters to access land-related services. This will ultimately reduce the traveling costs associated with acquiring such services. Additionally, the Ministry of Lands has already begun deploying technical staff to strengthen the capacity of the councils. The recruitment of district land registrars is also being facilitated to streamline the process of land registration at the council level.
In response to these developments, women and youth land rights advocate, Mphatso Jumbe, emphasized the importance of ensuring effective implementation of these new measures. Jumbe highlighted that the administration of land issues at the local level has disproportionately affected poor Malawians, with many individuals having their land unlawfully taken by those in positions of authority. She stressed the need for mechanisms to hold chiefs accountable for their actions, as individuals seeking land-related services at the council level will still have to engage with their chiefs.
In 2016, the Malawian Parliament passed several land-related laws, which were subsequently amended in 2022 to enhance transparency and accountability in land administration across the country. These legal reforms mark a crucial step towards ensuring equitable access to land and addressing issues of land grabbing and misconduct by those in positions of power.
Overall, the Ministry of Lands’ decentralization efforts represent a significant shift towards improving the efficiency and accessibility of land administration services for the people of Malawi. The active involvement of various stakeholders, including local councils, technical staff, and advocates like Mphatso Jumbe, will be vital in ensuring the successful implementation of these reforms and the protection of land rights for all Malawians.
Read the original article on The Times
