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If land redistribution is defined as the transfer of commercial farmland from whites and foreigners to black Namibians, the available evidence suggests that present policies are leading to about 1% of commercial land being redistributed every year. At this rate it will take another 40 years before half of Namibia's commercial land lies in black hands. This leisurely pace of change means that the "land question" is unlikely to be resolved any time soon and will continue to hold back national economic development by aggravating racial tension and creating uncertainty. Speeding up land redistribution, however, should not mean throwing existing policies out of the window. The Affirmative Action Loan Scheme has already led to more than three-and-a-half times more land being redistributed than Government purchases for resettlement. The process of land reform could be speeded up without causing damage to the wider economy by a greater use of market mechanisms within a clear overall framework in which all parties make a contribution. This will involve setting long-term targets, expanding the Affirmative Action Loan Scheme, subdividing farms, challenging commercial farmers to make a meaningful contribution to the land reform programme, selling dedicated land bonds and sourcing donor funds for land purchases.
Footnote:
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Robin Sherbourne is the Director of Public Policy Analysis at the IPPR.
He can be reached on robin@ippr.org.na.
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