MULTISTAKEHOLDER ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION - Sunbird Capital Hotel, Lilongwe.  This platform provided an opportunity for stakeholders to  discuss land management practices and the proposed reforms outlined in the six gazetted land bills with a view of understanding their implications on commercial agriculture.

ECAMA organized a half-day Multi-Stakeholder Roundtable Discussion on Land Management Practices and Reforms on Tuesday 8th February 2022 at Sunbird Capital Hotel, Lilongwe.

The objective of this roundtable discussion was to discuss land management practices and the proposed reforms outlined in the six gazetted land bills with a view of understanding their implications on commercial agriculture. This was in response to concerns over the impending amendments made by the Land Law Review Committee to the Land Act of 2016 and how they would affect commercial agriculture which is one of the main industries in Malawi and takes up a large share of the value of the country’s exports.

The event targeted land experts, land law experts, agriculture experts, economic experts, corporate organizations, research institutions, Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), parliamentarians, and development partners.

Keynote Speaker

• Dr. Daimon Kambewa, Associate Professor of Extension Studies at the Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources. The keynote presentation can be accessed here.

Panelists

• Dr. Sarah Tione, Principal Economist from the Ministry of Agriculture
• Dr. Chikosa Silungwe, Former Attorney General of the Republic of Malawi
• Mr. William Chadza, Executive Director from MwAPATA Institute.

Summary of the Meeting's Observations

The meeting observed that several proposals in the gazetted bills are inconsistent with the promotion of commercial agriculture and foreign direct investment. Participants also identified proposals that are inconsistent with the Constitution, including rights related to property. The meeting resolved to call for more consultations before the proposed amendment bills were passed in Parliament.

ECAMA produced a Communique and shared it with all stakeholders to ensure that the concerns of the impact of the proposed land law amendments on agriculture commercialization, foreign direct investment (FDI) and property ownership are addressed. Further, ECAMA plans to hold more lobby meetings with stakeholders that could not make it to the meeting and where possible, conduct a study to quantify the effects of the proposed amendments on commercial agriculture and FDI so that the evidence from such studies can be used in policy discussions.