Ministry of Lands engages media in campaign to raise awareness of land laws

Malawi: The Ministry of Lands held a meeting with senior reporters and editors from various media outlets in Nkhata Bay as part of its ongoing efforts to educate the public about new land laws, writes Tionge Hara.

This meeting was the first in a series planned for the north, with the second meeting, which will include junior reporters from all six districts in the north, scheduled to take place in Karonga district in January or early February.

During the meeting, the acting commissioner for physical planning in the ministry, Mr Robins Lukasi, who is also the chairperson for the land law review committee, highlighted key provisions of the Land Amendment Act of 2022 that have been reviewed.

These include a provision stating that land cannot be granted or sold to a non-citizen of Malawi (section 37(1)) and another stating that any existing grants in favour of non-citizens will remain valid until they expire (section 37(2)).

Mr Lukasi encouraged the senior editors and reporters to ensure that this information is disseminated to the public, as many people are unaware of these changes.

He also mentioned that the ministry will release the information in local languages so that it can be understood by those who are not literate in English.

Finally, Mr Lukasi emphasized the ministry's commitment to providing equitable access to land and secure tenure for all.

Feston Malekezo, the bureau chief for the Times group in the northern region, thanked the ministry for engaging with the media, as it will allow reporters to write more stories about the new land laws with their increased knowledge.