Bankable titles should be available

By HELEN TARAWA
LANDS and Physical Planning secretary Benjamin Samson says landowners should be given bankable titles to improve their land for economic development.
Samson said land had to be made available, to be harnessed to improve the quality of life for citizens of this country.
“I have a vision that we should avail land, that is, we must assist our customary landowners to free up land and give bankable titles,” he said.
“Only if we unlock land, our people can go to the bank and get a loan and improve their living standards.”
Samson said state land needed to be availed to public servants and tax-paying citizens to obtain titles and build homes.
He said this was also a policy of this government.
Samson said customary landowners needed to be encouraged to free up their land.
“The state, through this department, should issue them bankable titles over their customary land for their usage,” he said.
“This will enable us to look at ways of managing, survey and other related costs over customary land for the people.
“The state should encourage landowners to come forward to register their land.”
Meanwhile, Samson said urban development leases (UDLs) and large areas of land had been given to private entities while citizens were being marginalised.
He said there needed to be restrictions on facilitating UDLs and large land areas to private persons or entitles.
“This is so that the large areas of land can be subdivided by the department or provincial administrations to be available to public servants and tax-paying citizens.
“Public servants and working class people are pushed to the settlements. The state should do the sub-divisions.”