While land provides for livelihoods and contributes to social well-being, and it is the right of all Mozambicans to use and enjoy it, in the coming months the government has set in motion processes to change the land laws.
Draft 0 of government’s proposed Land Law resulted from an inadequate and ineffective public consultation process. The public consultation process did not cover all areas of the country and all communities. With a population of around 32 million, only a small percentage (roughly 75 000 Mozambicans) have been consulted.
Mozambicans still have an opportunity to make their voices heard regarding the latest draft of proposed laws. The next step includes waiting for Draft 2 (which should include the inputs from the consultations on Draft 1) to be made public and approved by the Land Consultation Forum. Once is approved, it will be sent to the Council of Ministers and then submitted to Parliament, more specifically the Agriculture Working Commission. Comments can be added to Draft 1, in order to impact Draft 2 before it is submitted to the Parliament; and later to the deputies for discussion and approval.
This pamphlet was developed in July 2024 and provides an outline of key information regarding the processes to date. It is available in Portuguese.
