Large-scale land-based investors have been urged to practice inclusive and responsible land investments in the country.

The players are under the Large-Scale Land Based Investments  Platform, a multi-stakeholder platform formed in 2019 by the Malawi Confederation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry (MCCCI).

Speaking on the sidelines of a workshop organised by MCCCI and Oxfam in Malawi in Lilongwe on Thursday, MCCCI director of business environment and policy advocacy Madalitso Kazembe said it was important to orient investors on inclusive and responsible large-scale land-based investments.

Some large-scale investors following a presentation at the workshop

She said: “Issues of land are very important and sometimes when people are investing, there are usually disagreements, lack of understanding or a lack of awareness between the communities and the investors themselves.

“We want amicable and inclusive large-scale investments for the communities to be aware of their land rights.”

Oxfam in Malawi livelihoods resilience programme manager Steve Kuliyazi said apart from ensuring that large-scale investors can co-exist with the surrounding communities, his organisation also seeks to ensure that there is security in the tenure of land among smallholder farmers.

On his part, Globe Metals and Mining chief executive officer Grant Hudson said there has been a lack of clarity on the issues of land for the investors as most of the acts are new.

On his part, Ministry of Lands regional commissioner for lands in the North, Timothy Mwale, observed that with the new Land Act recently passed in Parliament, there will be higher access to pieces of land for investors in the short-run, which will address some of their concerns.

“We have a section in the Land Act which improves how the investor accesses land. The provision says those wanting to invest in Malawi must get land through the Malawi Investment and Trade Centre.

“We are in the process of acquiring pieces of land to be allocated to investors,” he said.n

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