Date
2022-04
Authors
Kaulihowa, Teresia
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Abstract
Namibia lacks a comprehensive and harmonised socio-economic land database.
The aim of this policy note is to provide a briefing on the collation of the socio economic land data in Namibia. Namibia’s land size is 824 000km2
, and it is
characterised by a three-tenure system of which 23%, 35% and 42% are owned
by the government, communal and commercial (agricultural) land respectively.
The 2018 statistics indicates that commercial land has a total of 12 382 farmers
with a land size of 39.7 million hectares. Majority of commercial land is privately
owned (86%), whereas government owns the remaining 14%. The privately owned commercial land consists of the previously disadvantaged group (16%) as well
as the previous advantaged group1
(70%). It is important to note that disparities still
exist in terms of land ownership in Namibia.
To address land redistribution and equitable distribution of land, the Ministry of Land
Reform facilitated the enactment of eight Acts of Parliament and developed two national
policies i.e. the National Resettlement Policy and National Land Policy. The Land Reform
Settlement Programme currently offers 99-year lease agreement. Beginning from 1990
up until 2018, the national resettlement programme facilitated the acquisition of 3
million hectares of land through the willing buyer willing seller policy. About 54% of the
acquired commercial farms were financed through the National Affirmative Action Loan
Scheme of the AgriBank. The remaining 46% were financed privately on commercial
interest rate. With regards to gender orientation, 10 % of farmland were acquired by
females while the male category obtained 60% through the affirmative loan scheme.
This is despite the fact that prior to independence, women were virtually excluded from
owning land. It is therefore evident that commercial land re-distribution remains highly
skewed towards the male category.
With regards to the availability and accessibility of socio-economic land data, there
is no one source-database primarily for socio-economic land data in Namibia. The
Namibia Statistics Agency (NSA) reports only few variables mainly from national
census and surveys whereas the Ministry of Land Reform manages the Land
resettlement data and the N-class2
database. Other socio-economic land statistics
remains scattered around various ministries (Ministry of Agriculture, Water and
Forestry; Ministry of Urban and Rural Development; Ministry of Environment and
Tourism; Ministry of Mines and Energy, etc), government agencies (AgriBank) and
NGOs (NACSO). Of concern is the fact that there is no harmonised socio-economic
land data between the various entities, particularly between those that store data
for administrative use and those that keep for statistical use. In ensuring that there is
easy access and dissemination of socio-economic land data in Namibia, there is need
to develop a harmonised and centralised national socio-economic land database.
Inherent attributes such as affirmative action and previously disadvantaged should
be incorporated in such a database to enhance proper planning, policy design and
statistical use. To address issues of socio-economic land data, there is a need for
policy commitment towards an integrated or comprehensive approach. This policy
note recommends an establishment of a Help Desk that will serve as a host for a
comprehensive and harmonised socio-economic land database for Namibia.