FILE PHOTO: Bulldozer clears land in Jebel Ladu Payam of Juba County. (Courtesy)

The Ministry of Land, Housing and Urban Development in partnership with IGAD and FAO concluded a two-day consultative workshop for parliamentarians on the draft National Land Policy in Juba, on Thursday.

The policy has proposed the enactment of new laws to give effect to its provisions on strengthening the land administration system.

Some of the new laws to be enacted will include; Community land Act, Public Land Act, Land Registration Act, Land Commission Act and Physical Planning Act (incorporating town and Country planning)

Others are Land Survey Act, Climate Change Act and Family Law Act incorporating inheritance of land.

The Chairperson of South Sudan Land Commission said that once the policy is passed, it will pave way for legislation of other laws that will put the land regime under constant check

Robert Bima Loki said it will prevent a lot of corruption related to land especially land grabbing, and other malpractices in the country, hence attract genuine investors for development.

“We’ll actually review other laws, one of which is the community land law, because land belongs to the community. There’s a lot of corruption happening, land grabbing, and a lot of, you know, malpractices,” he said.

“So, by having a policy, we’ll be able to legislate other laws that will actually put our land regime under constant check and we will work towards progress and development.”

Mr. Bima added that the purpose of the workshop aims at consolidating and reaching a consensus.

“We are doing this as required by the (2018) agreement which was signed, so that people debate and see what areas they need to improve.”

“Now it is very good, they know what areas they need to improve, and once it is passed, we see a lot of changes in the land regime investment because foreigners will come to a country in which the land policy is very much clear, is friendly for investment and so forth.”

“This is a very important workshop two days sponsored by IGAD and FAO because they are also concerned about land development and national resources, because they are also concerned about land development and natural resources.”

According to the government, the pending National Land Policy aims to establish a sustainable framework for allocating and protecting collective and individual land rights for all the people of South Sudan.

The policy articulates principles, structures and processes for access and ownership, control, administration, use and sustainable management of the land to meet the core national governance and development objectives.

A 2017 research co-authored by Peter Hakim Justin and Han van Dijk, following South Sudanese independence, land became a trigger for conflicts, sometimes between communities with no histories civil war.

In June, the Speaker of Central Equatoria parliament condemned individuals engaged in the illegal acquisition of land in the state for the purpose of making profit, while encouraging citizens to acquire land in a lawful manner.

Peter Wani Elia, who spoke during a training of the state lawmakers on conflict resolution and peace, underscored that many people from across the country living in Juba are in need of land in the capital city.

Mr. Wani, however, said others take it for money – a practice he said, constitutes a fundamental problem that the government should pay attention to.