Tanzania has revised its land policy to provide a safer and more structured route for foreign investors to invest in real estate, while ensuring faster resolution of property disputes.

The revised policy also targets investors in the industrial and agricultural sectors, in line with the country’s National Development Vision 2050.

President Samia Suluhu Hassan launched the revised National Land Policy of 1995 in Dodoma on Monday, stressing that increased land investments would help boost Tanzania’s economy.

Read: Samia pitches Dar’s agricultural potential at US forumThe updated policy aims to resolve disputes arising from outdated or incomplete land registration records, which have led to overlapping projects.

Although Tanzania spans 947,303 square kilometres, the government has never fully mapped out the exact size of usable land for real estate, agriculture or industrial investments.

What’s changing?One of the most significant reforms is the removal of restrictions that previously barred foreigners from purchasing or leasing land for these purposes in urban areas.

According to President Hassan, the revised policy—initiated in 2023—creates a harmonised legal framework that will attract foreign investments in housing and business projects by streamlining land leasing and ownership procedures.

The previous land policy prohibited foreign investors from real estate ventures in key urban areas, limiting Tanzania’s ability to attract investment in low-cost housing projects.

The government is also planning a nationwide land mapping exercise to update records, with the last comprehensive map having been created in 1978.

President Hassan said that her administration would deploy drones, aircraft and advanced technologies to survey the entire country and produce an up-to-date land map that reflects Tanzania’s economic and political landscape.

With nearly 70 percent of Tanzania’s land currently unregistered, the revised policy prioritises speeding up the land registration process. © Copyright 2022 Nation Media Group. All Rights Reserved. Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (Syndigate.info).