Z’bar govt to cancel lease agreements for idle land 

LOCAL and foreign investors with undeveloped land risk termination of their lease agreements if they will fail to develop the land given to them for investment purposes.

Zanzibar Minister for Land and Settlement Development, Ms Rahma Kassim Ali has given them until end of this month (January) to make sure that the parcels of land are developed or else their lease agreement will be cancelled.

“Possessing or keeping big chunks of land without developing them contribute to land disputes …we need all people, mainly investors to develop the lands or risk termination of their land lease agreements,” the minister said when giving updates on land disputes in isles.

The Minister said that her office will release a list of people and investors who own undeveloped land after the expiry of the deadline which had been set for end of January.

“The government has extended the deadline for three months after the expiry of the first one. We want the idle land to be repossessed by the government so that it can be given to other serious investors,” Ms Rahma said.

Zanzibar Investment Promotion Authority (ZIPA) Director, Mr Sharif Ali Sharif backed the government’s move.

He was speaking during the official opening of a new five-star hotel named TOA, located on the east coast of the enchanting island of Zanzibar, near the village of Pongwe, Unguja South.

“No one will be spared, we will cancel the land lease agreements for investors who fail to develop the land given to them, we want serious investors who can invest in projects which are beneficial to both sides,” Mr Sharif explained as he commended both local and foreign investors who have already developed the land they rented.

In December, 2021 President Hussein Ali Mwinyi issued a one-year ultimatum for foreign investors and locals to develop the idle land or else risk lease termination  the deadline expired last November and the issued an additional of three months.

Zanzibar welcomes investments in to invest in Unguja and Pemba as well as in Minland but it also invite investors to establish projects in selected uninhabited small Islands (islets) with High Ends Investment projects that do not disturb the delicate nature of both the terrestrial and marine environments, as well as the islets’ neighboring communities.