Economic Implications of the Lands and Deeds Registry (Amendment) Bill No. 13 of 2025

The Lands and Deeds Registry (Amendment) Bill No. 13 of 2025 presents a significant shift in Zambia’s land governance framework, with far-reaching economic implications.

While the bill aims to resolve historical issues such as double titling and fraudulent land allocations, it introduces serious risks to land tenure security and investment confidence.

Granting the Chief Registrar of Lands powers to cancel Certificates of Title without adequate checks and judicial oversight creates uncertainty in land ownership especially with property investment.

This further creates uncertainty which threatens the stability of key economic sectors, particularly those linked to agricultural land, where secure land titles are essential for accessing finance, driving productivity and sustaining value chains.

The potential erosion of collateral value may constrict access to credit for both commercial farmers and emerging agribusinesses, while also weakening Zambia’s appeal to foreign and domestic investors.

This will also bring about additional required support initiatives to back up mortgage and peripheral aspects to finance business.

Additionally, the lack of broad stakeholder consultation undermines the legitimacy of the reform process and could trigger legal disputes, further burdening the justice system and delaying development projects.

Therefore, while land registry reform is both necessary and overdue, it must be approached with transparency, accountability and inclusiveness.

The bill should be revised to incorporate legal safeguards, clear appeal mechanisms and meaningful engagement with affected stakeholders.

With this and many, only then can Zambia achieve a balanced outcome strengthening land governance while safeguarding economic stability and growth.