New land reform bill to bar foreigners from buying local farms
Proposed legislation set to reshape land governance
The bill is aimed at reinforcing government's preferential right to buy commercial farmland and outlines mechanisms for compulsory acquisition.
Foreign nationals will no longer be allowed to buy commercial agricultural land in Namibia if a new land reform bill, expected to be tabled in parliament this September, is passed.
This major shift in land ownership policy was confirmed in a notice of motion by agriculture and land reform minister Inge Zaamwani, submitted to the National Assembly on 10 July.
The proposed bill, to be introduced on 3 September, includes a clear clause prohibiting the acquisition of commercial farmland by non-Namibians.
It also sets out to regulate how foreign nationals may lease such land, signalling a broader effort to keep agricultural land under Namibian control.
Alongside this prohibition, the bill outlines sweeping changes to Namibia’s land governance system.
It proposes the creation of communal land boards and a new communal land development fund to oversee and support land use in communal areas.
It also aims to clarify how communal land is demarcated and how rights to such land are allocated, with defined roles for traditional leaders and land committees.
Compulsory purchase mechanisms
The bill will reinforce the state's preferential right to buy commercial farmland and outlines mechanisms for compulsory acquisition in the interest of land reform.
Namibian citizens who do not currently own or have adequate access to farmland will be first in line to benefit.
It further proposes the continuation of key land reform institutions, including the land reform advisory commission, the valuation tribunal (previously the valuation court), and the lands tribunal.
Provisions for land tax and the appointment of authorised officers to enforce the Act are also included.
This major shift in land ownership policy was confirmed in a notice of motion by agriculture and land reform minister Inge Zaamwani, submitted to the National Assembly on 10 July.
The proposed bill, to be introduced on 3 September, includes a clear clause prohibiting the acquisition of commercial farmland by non-Namibians.
It also sets out to regulate how foreign nationals may lease such land, signalling a broader effort to keep agricultural land under Namibian control.
Alongside this prohibition, the bill outlines sweeping changes to Namibia’s land governance system.
It proposes the creation of communal land boards and a new communal land development fund to oversee and support land use in communal areas.
It also aims to clarify how communal land is demarcated and how rights to such land are allocated, with defined roles for traditional leaders and land committees.
Compulsory purchase mechanisms
The bill will reinforce the state's preferential right to buy commercial farmland and outlines mechanisms for compulsory acquisition in the interest of land reform.
Namibian citizens who do not currently own or have adequate access to farmland will be first in line to benefit.
It further proposes the continuation of key land reform institutions, including the land reform advisory commission, the valuation tribunal (previously the valuation court), and the lands tribunal.
Provisions for land tax and the appointment of authorised officers to enforce the Act are also included.
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