President Hakainde Hichilema will soon consult traditional leaders nationwide to increase land availability for development and reduce pressure on overcrowded urban areas.
Patrick Mucheleka, Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, said the consultations aim to open more rural land for sustainable development and population redistribution. The initiative forms part of a broader strategy to address illegal land occupation and promote orderly settlement.
Mucheleka told ZANIS that Zambia’s growing population makes it unsustainable for large numbers of people to remain concentrated in urban areas. Congested cities place heavy strain on social services and infrastructure, affecting overall quality of life.
The Ministry has established a Land Development Fund accessible to local authorities that partner with traditional leaders to make land available for development. These partnerships are expected to support structured land expansion and improve service delivery in both rural and urban areas.
The initiative is integrated into the government’s broader effort to decongest cities and boost rural development through the Constituency Development Fund (CDF). “We are deliberately pushing more resources to rural areas through the CDF to make them more liveable and economically viable,” Mucheleka said.
Land encroachment has been a persistent challenge in Zambia. The government is taking a firm stance against illegal land occupation. Mucheleka warned, “This current government will not tolerate individuals invading land that does not belong to them, especially land belonging to learning institutions.”
The consultations with traditional leaders are expected to create a framework for orderly settlement, expand land availability for development, and strengthen rural economies, while ensuring urban areas are better managed and less congested.