World Bank to support land reform

The government of Zimbabwe and the World Bank have signed a US $5 million credit agreement to finance the resettlement of poor farmers under the government’s land reform programme, a statement from the World Bank said this week.

It said that the credit will mainly finance resettlement costs and on-farm investments. The statement added that the credit comes shortly after the adoption of a new policy framework by the government to guide land reform.

Senior Minister Joseph Msika, the minister responsible for land reform, was quoted in the statement as saying: “I am very pleased that the World Bank has taken the lead on fulfilling the pledges made at the 1998 donor conference. I hope and trust that many other donors, stakeholders and NGOs will follow the Bank’s lead.”

The World Bank’s country director for Zimbabwe, Barbara Kafka said: “The Bank fully supports the Government’s Inception Phase policy framework and will now start to finance the actual resettlement of poor farmers with this credit. I believe that successful implementation of land reform is key to resolving one of the most fundamental equity and efficiency issues facing the country as it enters the new millennium.”