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SADC states urged to use land for socio-economic recovery
2008-09-22 10:20:38
By Nasser Kigwangallah
SADC countries have been urged to utilise the land equitably, through Land Management Programme (LAMP) so as to resuscitate their economies as a sure way of ensuring peace and political stability in the region.
The call was made at the weekend by Anna Agren, the manager of the Advanced International Training on Rural Peri-Urban Land Administration Programme, when closing a training workshop for land officers in the SADC region held in Dar es Salaam.
She said the objective of the training programme was to strengthen and develop the capability of decision-makers and practitioners in the SADC region, to create capacity and knowledge within the field of integrated urban planning.
She said in the long-term the programme would contribute to institutional strengthening and capacity development in the developing countries.
``These programmes are aimed at enhancing managerial and technical skills and cover subjects of strategic importance to economic and social development,`` she said. She added that the training programmes were designed for experienced executives in middle and top management positions in their respective departments.
According to her, the training programmes, sponsored by Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA) would contribute immensely to processes of change and development in the participants` organisations and lines of businesses where they work.
One of the participants Lucky Kabanga, a professor from Mzuzu University in Malawi, said that the programmes aimed at enhancing managerial and technical skills in partner countries and covered subjects of strategic importance to economic and social development.
``There is a dire need for an equitable balance in addressing the land demands of the rural and urban poor on the one hand and the need to empower indigenous entrepreneurs on the other,`` Kabanga said.
She added that there was a need to create conditions for optimal utilisation of land by ensuring that settled farmers have access to complimentary infrastructure and support services, including credit, research, training and extension.
Another participant David Mushendwa, from the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Settlement said there was need to develop appropriate roles for traditional and local leaders in land administration within clearly formulated legal frameworks.
``The training programme is crucial because it is designed for those holding professional positions with specific responsibility to develop capacity and knowledge within the field of urban planning in their home countries,`` he said.
The week-long training was attended by land officers from Botswana, Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
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