Chief Mphamba of Lundazi District in Eastern Province, has issued 259 customary land certificates to women in the ongoing land certification programme.
This emanates from the women’s economic empowerment project being implemented by the Lundazi District Women Association with technical support from Zambia Land Alliance and Women for Change, funded by the Swedish Embassy through We Effect Zambia.
Speaking during the handover ceremony of the certificates to the beneficiaries, Chief Mphamba however, cautioned his subjects that the documents do not give them the right to sell land.
The traditional leader urged his subjects to put the land to good use.
And Lundazi District Commissioner, Marjory Banda, has hailed cooperating partners and the traditional leader for accelerating access to land among women.
Ms Banda said the move reinforces the government’s commitment to provide access to land for vulnerable groups such as women.
She has, however, implored the beneficiaries of the Land Certification Programme not to sell their land as advised by the Chief but use it for personal, family and community development.
Ms Banda emphasized that land is an important social and economic resource that will help to uplift the livelihoods of women in the district.
And Zambia Land Alliance Executive Director, Patrick Musole, has thanked Chief Mphamba for supporting the project.
Mr Musole expressed happiness that the land certification will help address the challenges women face in accessing land.
“Your highness, we know that the women’s economic empowerment project targets only a limited number of women for documentation of land rights, but we want to assure you that, as the Zambia Land Alliance, we stand ready to help the chiefdom in documenting the land of your subjects,” he said.
He stated that the Alliance will continue lobbying the government to legally recolonize customary land certificates so that they can have the same power as the title that is issued by the government,” Mr Musole said.
Mr Musole indicated that they were ready to provide technical support in documenting customary land in the country, adding that it was the only way customary land would be secured, just like statutory land.
The women who were awarded certificates were from Kapili, Mchelela, Vuu, Nyalubanga, and Lukwizizi.
