LPM calls for productivity-focused land reform in Namibia

Despite Namibia having advanced its land redistribution, the current framework focuses mostly on allocation, rather than productivity, accountability and economic impact.

These remarks were made by Landless People’s Movement parliamentarian Utaara Mootu on Wednesday after tabling a motion titled ‘National Land Productivity Audit’.

“Existing land reform statistics provide aggregate data, but do not enable parliament or the public to assess whether land across commercial, communal, and resettlement systems is being used efficiently to support food security and national growth,” she said.

Mootu said in terms of agricultural land, and in line with continental commitments such as the Maputo Declaration, there is a need to transition to a productivity-driven land governance system.

She said the motion proposes the establishment of a national land productivity audit, supported by a transparent beneficiary monitoring.

The motion seeks to address risks of underutilisation, absentee landlordism, and elite capture, by introducing measurable productivity indicators and linking them to fiscal and institutional support across all categories of farmers.

She said it emphasises the need for a differentiated approach that protects historically dispossessed and emerging farmers through targeted support.

Mootu said the motion aims to strengthen parliamentary oversight and ensure that land reform contributes meaningfully to economic transformation and agricultural productivity.

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