Land reform forum dormant

A PROPOSAL by experts who compiled an action plan for Namibia’s land reform, which included setting up a special forum, has never materialised but could finally become a reality in due course.

The Joint Presidency Committee (JPC), which consists of the presidents of the country’s three farmers’ unions, met with the Ministry of Lands and Resettlement last week on this topic. “We discussed the Negotiated Land Reform Forum (NLRF) which has not been operative after its first meeting was held back in April 2007,” the latest newsletter of the Namibia Farmers’ Union (NAU) said.’NAU Executive Manager Sakkie Coetzee and the union’s Research and Development Manager, Elaine Smith, together with the Chief Executive Officer of the Namibia National Farmworkers’ Union (NNFU), Olof Munjanu, met with the Permanent Secretary of Lands, Lidwina Shapwa, Under Secretary Dr Nangolo Shivute and Resettlement Director Simeon Kandjii to discuss the proposal.The idea of establishing the Negotiated Land Reform Forum originated from the Strategic Options and Action Plan for Land Reform in Namibia compiled by the Permanent Technical Committee (PTT), which Government approved in 2006 as the roadmap to land reform.The concept suggests a facilitated dialogue approach which consists of a preparatory phase followed by a series of workshops and the establishment of Round Tables to get the public’s perspective and inputs on the land reform process together with the inputs from various key stakeholders and land reform experts and consultants.The deliberations, viewpoints and position papers will eventually be published and compiled into books on the Namibian experience regarding land reform.”The Ministry’s officials expressed their appreciation to the JPC for reinstating this Forum and confirmed their support throughout this process,” according to the NAU newsletter.’It was agreed last week that the JPC will act as secretariat for the revived NLRF in the meantime, until the first stakeholder meeting appoints an independent institution to drive the process.The ministry will assign a contact person within the Ministry through which the JPC will communicate.Invitations for the first meeting will incorporate many institutions and their umbrella organisations.”We discussed the Negotiated Land Reform Forum (NLRF) which has not been operative after its first meeting was held back in April 2007,” the latest newsletter of the Namibia Farmers’ Union (NAU) said.’NAU Executive Manager Sakkie Coetzee and the union’s Research and Development Manager, Elaine Smith, together with the Chief Executive Officer of the Namibia National Farmworkers’ Union (NNFU), Olof Munjanu, met with the Permanent Secretary of Lands, Lidwina Shapwa, Under Secretary Dr Nangolo Shivute and Resettlement Director Simeon Kandjii to discuss the proposal.The idea of establishing the Negotiated Land Reform Forum originated from the Strategic Options and Action Plan for Land Reform in Namibia compiled by the Permanent Technical Committee (PTT), which Government approved in 2006 as the roadmap to land reform.The concept suggests a facilitated dialogue approach which consists of a preparatory phase followed by a series of workshops and the establishment of Round Tables to get the public’s perspective and inputs on the land reform process together with the inputs from various key stakeholders and land reform experts and consultants.The deliberations, viewpoints and position papers will eventually be published and compiled into books on the Namibian experience regarding land reform.”The Ministry’s officials expressed their appreciation to the JPC for reinstating this Forum and confirmed their support throughout this process,” according to the NAU newsletter.’It was agreed last week that the JPC will act as secretariat for the revived NLRF in the meantime, until the first stakeholder meeting appoints an independent institution to drive the process.The ministry will assign a contact person within the Ministry through which the JPC will communicate.Invitations for the first meeting will incorporate many institutions and their umbrella organisations.