The Minister of Lands, Housing, and Urban Development, Judith Nabakoba has officially inaugurated the National Land Policy Platform today. The forthcoming three-day event, under the theme “Evaluating the Impact of Uganda’s National Land Policy on Land Resource Management,” is scheduled to run from October 31st to November 2nd, 2023, at Hotel Africana in Kampala.
The National Land Policy (NLP), endorsed by the Cabinet in February 2013, has played a fundamental role in shaping Uganda’s land management and resource utilization strategies. Its mission is to promote efficient, equitable, and optimal use of Uganda’s land and land-based resources, with the aim of reducing poverty, fostering wealth creation, and driving socio-economic development.
Starting next week, stakeholders, including government officials, civil society organizations, development partners, political leaders, and academia, will come together to assess the NLP’s decade-long implementation. The objective is to evaluate its achievements, shortcomings, and to plan the way forward for the next phase of implementation.
During the platform’s launch, Minister Nabakooba stressed the importance of the NLP and the necessity for its review after a decade of operation. She stated, “The National Land Policy has been instrumental in guiding land-related decisions and actions in Uganda. This platform offers us an opportunity to assess its impact and identify areas for improvement to better serve our nation’s needs.”
Dorcas Okalany, the Permanent Secretary of the Lands Ministry, emphasized the review’s purpose, stating, “The review of the National Land Policy is crucial to ascertain if it has met its intended objectives. It also enables us to address any challenges that have arisen and adapt to new developments and issues in land management.”
Okalany outlined the key areas that the Policy has addressed, including the constitutional and legal framework, land tenure, land rights administration, land use, regional and international aspects, and the implementation framework. The platform will also feature the presentation of the results from the NLP Impact Evaluation Study and assessments of NLP implementation by stakeholders, as well as discussions on emerging issues and best practices.
The Policy review is scheduled for October 31st to November 2nd, 2023, at Hotel Africana. Hon. Nabakooba encouraged participants, including experts, stakeholders, land administration and management professionals, and citizens, to engage openly and share their experiences to shape the future of land management in Uganda.
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