Government warned about restricting foreign land ownership

Land law experts on Monday warned the Malawi government that its proposed new land policy could spark an economic and land crisis in the country if the legislation goes through, news reports said.

The land policy states that in order to retain their freehold ownership, all foreigners currently in possession of land title would have to obtain Malawian citizenship within seven years from the policy coming into effect. “It will simply create problems where there are currently no problems. It will create fear and insecurity among businesspeople, especially in view of the Zimbabwe experience,” Gantoni Kainja, an expert in land law was quoted as saying.
Kainja said it would act as a disincentive to foreign investors from investing in the country.

Rafiaq Hajaat, director of the non-governmental Institute for Policy Interaction was quoted as saying that it was “illogical” to force investors to become citizens of Malawi just because they own some land. Hajaat said the new land policy would especially affect the tea industry in the Mulanje and Thyolo districts in southern Malawi, since all those estates were held on freehold titles.