The Malawi government says it will set aside 3,000 hectares of land annually for allocation to both local and foreign investors annually.
Minister o f Lands Atupele Muluzi disclosed this in Lilongwe on the sidelines of a ceremony to present a 60 hectare land allocated to a solar energy investor, Atlas Energy.
Muluzi said the government recognises that availability of land is central to providing an enabling environment for private sector development to take place in this country.
He said steps have to be taken to ensure that major impediments to access to land are addressed and make it easier for investors to come into the country.
“What we are doing now is to create an environment that will remove stumbling blocks for the private sector to access land without much difficulty,” said Muluzi.
“As a ministry, we will be able to secure land which will be given to Malawi Investment and Trade Centre specifically for investment purposes. Right now, we are at least committed to ensure that 3,000 hectors of land should be made available each year for the purposes of investments,” said Muluzi.
He said the ministry is in the process of undertaking a land use study which will also determine the uses of land.
Muluzi said the land study will, among other things, identify pieces of land that are not being properly utilized that could be used for investment purposes