Malawi has revised its position on proposed land restrictions that would limit land acquisition for agricultural purposes to 1,000 hectares and make it impossible for foreigners to own land in the country.
The reforms, which provided the government broad powers to confiscate undeveloped land two years after acquisition and decide whether expired leases should be extended, were criticized as populist and sparked concerns that they would frighten investors. The legislation also placed restrictions on the sale of private land to noncitizens.
The land laws amended in 2022 were according to the government meant to solve challenges faced by thousands of landless subsistence farmers mostly from southern Malawi who have been fighting for their ancestral land, which they claim was illegally acquired by foreign large-scale farmers.
About the author
Madalitso Wills KatetaMadatso_Kateta
Madalitso Wills Kateta is a Malawi-based Devex contributing reporter. He specializes in gender, human rights, climate change, politics, and global development reporting. He has written for the Thomson Reuters Foundation, The New Humanitarian, African Arguments, Equal Times, and others.
