LAND TENURE in ZAMBIA

Land registration and cadastral systems exist in great variety. This paper describes the rich history of Zambian land tenure systems and discusses the present land tenure system. Zambia has a dual land tenure system: customary tenure and formal title registration. In the customary system the chiefs regulate the allocation of the land. They rule with the consent of their people. This system is considered insecure according to western standards but works for the indigenous people. The copper industry made the country wealthy and the formal land registration worked. The copper market collapsed and as a result the formal land tenure system failed due to complex procedures and a lack of competent personnel. The defects need to be fixed in order to benefit from the formal land tenure system.