The Office of the Vice President’s Department of Resettlement Director Cooper Chibomba says the government is working hard to actualize the implementation of the Resettlement Policy and address its challenges.
Mr Chibomba stated that the Resettlement Programme has been running since 1988, with the Rural Reconstruction Units becoming resettlement schemes now under the Office of the Vice President.
He disclosed that as of July 2024, Zambia had 107 schemes classified as active, covering one million hectares of land across 10 provinces.
The Director noted that the mandates of resettlement are drawn from Gazette Notice 1123 of 2021 under the Office of the Vice President to resettle targeted citizens on a voluntary and involuntary basis.
Mr Chibomba said the government ensures the provision of basic infrastructure to facilitate access to services and trade.
The Director said this during the Ministerial Stakeholder Engagement in Lusaka organized by the Centre for Environment Justice (CEJ) with support from the Southern African Trust (SAT).
“There is also the provision of agri-business skills to settlers and host communities, establishing market linkages, and access to inputs for settlers,” he said.
The Director emphasized that the Resettlement Policy 2015, among others, ensures the security of tenure, compensation, and resettlement assistance.
“Core activities include land allocation to targeted citizens and groups such as Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), youths, women, and persons with disabilities,” he said.
The Director added that the government also acquires land for resettlement purposes across the country and facilitates the initiation and development of Resettlement Action Plans to ensure fair compensation.
“The government recommends settlers for certificates of title once the land is developed,” she said.
Mr Chibomba emphasized that the Resettlement Policy 2024 is in place to enhance rural economic transformation and settler community productivity to develop sustainable livelihood opportunities for vulnerable groups in Zambia.
He highlighted challenges such as production and productivity in resettlement schemes, access to resettlement, involuntary resettlement and forced displacement, human settlement, coordination, monitoring, and evaluation.
The Director pledged to engage various key stakeholders such as traditional leaders, line ministries, non-governmental organizations, and the private sector.
He said the government will enhance resource sharing, including technology, which will accelerate rural transformation and directly increase productivity and production.
Meanwhile, Centre for Environment Justice (CEJ) Executive Director Maggie Mwape has appealed to the Office of the Vice President to embark on sensitizing citizens and local authorities in mining areas about the laws on compensation.
Ms Mwape highlighted that communities in mining areas, such as Sinazongwe District in the Southern Province, face injustices, including being pressured into signing relocation agreements at low rates.
She emphasized that the government should not leave relocation negotiations to the communities, as they lack the capacity and skills to negotiate effectively on their own.
