Government has stepped up efforts to transform land occupation into secure ownership, with the One-Stop Title Deeds Processing Centre having concluded 1 824 agreements of sale worth US$110.4 million under the Presidential Title Deeds Programme.
The initiative is aimed at simplifying the process of obtaining title deeds, which previously required land beneficiaries to navigate separate surveying, valuation, legal compliance, banking and registration procedures at different locations.
Chairperson of the Land Tenure Implementation Committee, Senator Kudakwashe Tagwirei, said the centre was making significant progress in consolidating the various processes required to secure land tenure.
“As at 24 August, the One-Stop Centre had surveyed 27 045 farms and matched 10 231 to their beneficiaries,” said Dr Tagwirei.
“We have concluded 1 824 agreements of sale worth US$110.4 million, of which US$79.5 million are mortgages and US$30.9 million cash agreements of sale, with US$16.5 million already paid and 1 417 title deeds registered.”
The One-Stop Centre forms part of Government’s ease-of-doing-business reforms in the agriculture sector, bringing key land administration processes under one roof.
Senator Tagwirei said the figures demonstrated progress across the land tenure chain, from surveying and identifying beneficiaries to concluding agreements of sale and ultimately registering title deeds.
However, he said the major challenge was now increasing the pace of processing to ensure that the programme reached all eligible beneficiaries.
“The priority now is to address the challenge of scale by speeding up surveying, valuation and registration,” he said.
Government is targeting 351 998 beneficiaries under the Presidential Title Deeds Programme, with the ultimate goal of ensuring that landholders have legally recognised and transferable ownership of their properties.
The issuance of title deeds is also expected to unlock the economic potential of agricultural land by giving beneficiaries assets that can be used as collateral when seeking financing from financial institutions.
With secure tenure, farmers can potentially access capital for irrigation, mechanisation, infrastructure development and other investments that can improve productivity.
The programme is therefore viewed not only as a land reform initiative, but also as a mechanism for strengthening agricultural production, attracting investment and improving Zimbabwe’s food security.
By consolidating surveying, valuation, legal, banking and registration processes, the One-Stop Centre is expected to reduce delays and make it easier for beneficiaries to move from land occupation to formal ownership.
