{"id":79195,"date":"2024-10-26T11:40:00","date_gmt":"2024-10-26T11:40:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/ar-wants-foreign-land-ownership-banned"},"modified":"2024-10-26T11:40:00","modified_gmt":"2024-10-26T11:40:00","slug":"ar-wants-foreign-land-ownership-banned","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/ar-wants-foreign-land-ownership-banned","title":{"rendered":"AR wants foreign land ownership banned"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Namibia. <\/strong><\/span>Namibian political party Affirmative Repositioning has taken a different view of the land reform agenda by focusing on appropriation, banning foreign land ownership, and the removal of the controversial Red Line.<\/p>\n

These positions are articulated in the AR manifesto, dubbed \u2018Plans for Namibia\u2019, launched at the weekend in Katima Mulilo.<\/p>\n

The party promises fundamental changes in land distribution and agricultural production.<\/p>\n

With just four weeks before the 2024 elections, AR\u2019s land policy is anticipated to resonate with those seeking a break from past approaches to land reform.<\/p>\n

Their approach to land reform seeks to address what the movement views as an ongoing inequity stemming from colonial land ownership structures.<\/p>\n

The manifesto presents a vision where Namibians take full control of their land, with foreign ownership either heavily-restricted or banned outright.<\/p>\n

At the heart of AR\u2019s land reform agenda is the outright ban of foreign land ownership.<\/p>\n

In a country where agricultural land has historically been controlled by foreign nationals and absentee landlords, AR aims to enact a law that would prohibit foreigners from owning communal land, and sharply regulate their ability to own agricultural land.<\/p>\n

\u201cForeigners would only be allowed to lease agricultural land under tightly-controlled conditions, while commercial farms owned by foreigners would face expropriation,\u201d reads the manifesto.<\/p>\n

According to AR, that would put an end to what they see as exploitative land ownership practices that have continued even after Namibia gained independence.<\/p>\n

The AR\u2019s presidential candidate, Job Amupanda has been vocal about the movement\u2019s position on foreign land ownership.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are more than 200 farms owned by foreigners and absentee landlords, which is equal to approximately 1.4 million hectares. The AR government will specifically target these farms for expropriation, redistribution to Namibians, or State takeover for agricultural production by the State,\u201d the manifesto declares .<\/p>\n

The proposal directly addresses growing concerns over land inequality, a pressing issue for many Namibians who feel left behind by current policies.<\/p>\n

Willing buyer<\/p>\n

For AR, Namibia\u2019s post-independence land reform efforts have largely failed, due in part to the \u2018willing buyer- willing seller\u2019 approach, which they argue has been ineffective.<\/p>\n

This policy has allowed for the gradual transfer of land through negotiated purchases, but AR views it as a major bottleneck to meaningful land redistribution.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe AR government will introduce a law clearly defining the meaning of \u2018just compensation\u2019 which will clearly not mean \u2018market-related\u2019. The AR government will also discontinue the current failed \u2018willing buyer-willing seller\u2019, approach, the dossier further reads.<\/p>\n

Instead, AR plans to make land expropriation feasible without straining state resources or allowing foreign interests to continue dominating Namibia\u2019s agricultural landscape.<\/p>\n

Red line<\/p>\n

Another significant part of AR\u2019s land reform is the removal of the 1896 Veterinary Cordon Fence, known notoriously as the Red Line, a colonial-era boundary that has, for over a century, divided Namibia into two distinct economic zones. The AR views the red line as a relic of colonialism that has continued to disadvantage northern rural communities and stifle economic integration.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe AR government will speedily move to remove the 1896 Redline and ends the 120 years of this colonial instrument,\u201d reads the party\u2019s plan.<\/p>\n

By abolishing the Redline, AR aims to create a unified agricultural economy, allowing for greater freedom of trade and the movement of livestock across the entire country.<\/p>\n

This is expected to stimulate economic growth, particularly in the northern regions, where many Namibians depend on farming for their livelihoods.<\/p>\n

Agriculture<\/p>\n

In addition to addressing land ownership, AR also proposes several measures to boost agricultural productivity.<\/p>\n

The Agricultural Support and Mechanisation Agency (ASMA) will be established to support black farmers, particularly those in communal areas, through mechanisation and innovative agricultural technologies.<\/p>\n

The manifesto emphasises the need to make Namibia self-sufficient in food production and reduce dependence on imports from neighbouring South Africa.<\/p>\n

The manifesto also outlines plans to improve the use of communal land by supporting year-round agricultural production, rather than just depending on rain-fed cropping.<\/p>\n

Water canals will be created in communal areas, and seawater desalination plants will be prioritised to ensure a consistent water supply for irrigation and food production.<\/p>\n

Analysis<\/p>\n

Political analyst Ndumba Kamwanyah said the idea of banning foreign land ownership and expropriating 1.4 million hectares is bold and could address land inequality in the country.<\/p>\n

However, it risks triggering legal challenges, reducing foreign investment, and straining diplomatic relations.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe benefit could be greater local land ownership and potential empowerment of Namibians, but careful management is crucial to avoid economic instability,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The political analyst added that redefining \u2018just compensation\u2019 may harm Namibia\u2019s international image and discourage foreign investors.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt could lead to diplomatic tension and negatively impact the investment climate, as investors often rely on clear legal frameworks that protect their interests,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The removal of the Redline, however, could boost economic integration in northern Namibia, helping communal farmers access wider markets and resources, he said. \u201cHowever, it will require strong infrastructure development and proper management to ensure it benefits the people, as AR suggests,\u201d he stated, adding that plans to implement fast land redistribution may face hurdles like lack of farming expertise, infrastructure, and resources for new landowners.<\/p>\n

Kamwanyah said ensuring agricultural productivity and food security will require investment in training, technology and support systems to avoid undermining the agricultural sector.<\/p>\n

Weighing in, researcher Dietrich Remmert of the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) said in the past, most political parties, including perhaps the Landless People\u2019s Movement or the Popular Democratic Movement, have discussed the need to increase investment in agricultural production. He said there\u2019s even an African Union agreement, signed over a decade ago, that commits African governments to allocate around 10% of their GDP to agriculture.<\/p>\n

However, despite these commitments, this often has not beenthecase. Theagriculturalsector remains largely underfunded, he said. Economist Omu Kakujaha- Matundu said political parties can say anything they like, particularly during election time, and declined to give an opinion or comment on AR proclamations.<\/p>\n

For More News And Analysis About Namibia<\/a> Follow Africa-Press<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Namibia. Namibian political party Affirmative Repositioning has taken a different view of the land reform agenda by focusing on appropriation, banning foreign land ownership, and the removal of the controversial Red Line. These positions are articulated in the AR manifesto, dubbed \u2018Plans for Namibia\u2019, launched at the weekend in Katima Mulilo. The party […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":79194,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,7,10],"tags":[234,236,233],"class_list":["post-79195","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-head-lines","category-parties","tag-africa-press","tag-africa-press-namibia","tag-namibia"],"yoast_head":"\nAR wants foreign land ownership banned - Namibia<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/ar-wants-foreign-land-ownership-banned\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"AR wants foreign land ownership banned\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Africa-Press – Namibia. Namibian political party Affirmative Repositioning has taken a different view of the land reform agenda by focusing on appropriation, banning foreign land ownership, and the removal of the controversial Red Line. These positions are articulated in the AR manifesto, dubbed \u2018Plans for Namibia\u2019, launched at the weekend in Katima Mulilo. The party […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/ar-wants-foreign-land-ownership-banned\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Namibia\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AfricaPressTunisiaa\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-10-26T11:40:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/ar-wants-foreign-land-ownership-banned#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/ar-wants-foreign-land-ownership-banned\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"headline\":\"AR wants foreign land ownership banned\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-10-26T11:40:00+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/ar-wants-foreign-land-ownership-banned\"},\"wordCount\":1004,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/ar-wants-foreign-land-ownership-banned#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/nambia\/sites\/29\/2024\/10\/Hazrati1729930223.507208.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"africa press\",\"Africa Press-Namibia\",\"namibia\"],\"articleSection\":[\"all news\",\"head lines\",\"parties\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/ar-wants-foreign-land-ownership-banned#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/ar-wants-foreign-land-ownership-banned\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/ar-wants-foreign-land-ownership-banned\",\"name\":\"AR wants foreign land ownership banned - Namibia\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/ar-wants-foreign-land-ownership-banned#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/ar-wants-foreign-land-ownership-banned#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/nambia\/sites\/29\/2024\/10\/Hazrati1729930223.507208.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-10-26T11:40:00+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/ar-wants-foreign-land-ownership-banned#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/ar-wants-foreign-land-ownership-banned\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/ar-wants-foreign-land-ownership-banned#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/nambia\/sites\/29\/2024\/10\/Hazrati1729930223.507208.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/nambia\/sites\/29\/2024\/10\/Hazrati1729930223.507208.jpg\",\"width\":2560,\"height\":1707,\"caption\":\"AR wants foreign land ownership banned\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/ar-wants-foreign-land-ownership-banned#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"AR wants foreign land ownership banned\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/\",\"name\":\"Namibia\",\"description\":\"Just another Africa News Agency Sites site\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\",\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7417380fa9e23b5c57fdbfdaf3fdf92ee478f759a084addda5faa3732853e74a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7417380fa9e23b5c57fdbfdaf3fdf92ee478f759a084addda5faa3732853e74a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"cfeditoren\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"AR wants foreign land ownership banned - Namibia","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/ar-wants-foreign-land-ownership-banned","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"AR wants foreign land ownership banned","og_description":"Africa-Press – Namibia. Namibian political party Affirmative Repositioning has taken a different view of the land reform agenda by focusing on appropriation, banning foreign land ownership, and the removal of the controversial Red Line. These positions are articulated in the AR manifesto, dubbed \u2018Plans for Namibia\u2019, launched at the weekend in Katima Mulilo. The party […]","og_url":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/ar-wants-foreign-land-ownership-banned","og_site_name":"Namibia","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AfricaPressTunisiaa","article_published_time":"2024-10-26T11:40:00+00:00","author":"cfeditoren","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"cfeditoren","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/ar-wants-foreign-land-ownership-banned#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/ar-wants-foreign-land-ownership-banned"},"author":{"name":"cfeditoren","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb"},"headline":"AR wants foreign land ownership banned","datePublished":"2024-10-26T11:40:00+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/ar-wants-foreign-land-ownership-banned"},"wordCount":1004,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/ar-wants-foreign-land-ownership-banned#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/nambia\/sites\/29\/2024\/10\/Hazrati1729930223.507208.jpg","keywords":["africa press","Africa Press-Namibia","namibia"],"articleSection":["all news","head lines","parties"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/ar-wants-foreign-land-ownership-banned#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/ar-wants-foreign-land-ownership-banned","url":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/ar-wants-foreign-land-ownership-banned","name":"AR wants foreign land ownership banned - Namibia","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/ar-wants-foreign-land-ownership-banned#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/ar-wants-foreign-land-ownership-banned#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/nambia\/sites\/29\/2024\/10\/Hazrati1729930223.507208.jpg","datePublished":"2024-10-26T11:40:00+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/ar-wants-foreign-land-ownership-banned#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/ar-wants-foreign-land-ownership-banned"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/ar-wants-foreign-land-ownership-banned#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/nambia\/sites\/29\/2024\/10\/Hazrati1729930223.507208.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/nambia\/sites\/29\/2024\/10\/Hazrati1729930223.507208.jpg","width":2560,"height":1707,"caption":"AR wants foreign land ownership banned"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/all-news\/ar-wants-foreign-land-ownership-banned#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"AR wants foreign land ownership banned"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/","name":"Namibia","description":"Just another Africa News Agency Sites site","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb","name":"cfeditoren","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7417380fa9e23b5c57fdbfdaf3fdf92ee478f759a084addda5faa3732853e74a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7417380fa9e23b5c57fdbfdaf3fdf92ee478f759a084addda5faa3732853e74a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"cfeditoren"}}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/79195","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/84"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=79195"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/79195\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/79194"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=79195"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=79195"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/namibia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=79195"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}