Access to Land in Urban and Rural Areas of Botswana: Towards an Inclusive Land Tenure System

Authors

  • Aloysius Clemence Mosha

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.61538/ardj.v3i2.630

Abstract

It is commonly assumed that Botswana’s land resources, (amounting to over 500,000 km2 but with a population of just over 2million today), are abundant, but over the years it has become evident that some definite limits will be widely experienced quite soon. Most visibly, the increasing shortage of land manifests itself both in the rural and urban areas. In the rural areas there are households, both female headed and male-headed and even the youth, who are experiencing problems of accessing land; pasture land is deteriorating and access to arable land has also become seriously limited in several areas. In the urban areas too, in spite of many strategies that have been adopted over the years, access to land for housing and commerce is a major challenge, with the main issue being affordability and lack of finance. To conclude land administration and governance in Botswana has been guided by policies and legislations issued in piece meals. The Land Administration Procedures Capacity and Systems (LAPCAS) project of 2009 is expected to tackle the existing land problems and challenges holistically. This should be coupled with proper government management of land resources, better public awareness of the general social benefits and land market process in order to reduce risk, disputes and other inefficiencies. 

Author Biography

Aloysius Clemence Mosha

University of Botswana,  moshaac@gmail.com

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