National land use plan expected soon

KIGALI - The National Land Centre will soon complete the National Land Use Master Plan that will be used to guide land users on the appropriate usage with an aim of decreasing unnecessary pressures on land. This was revealed by Erode Ngomba, the spokesperson of the centre. “We have to have a clear land policy in the country. We are advising people to use land appropriately,” he said. Swedsurvey, a Swedish consultant firm, was contracted to do the architectural work. “Currently, there are 8 million plots of land across the country that can only be distributed amongst a population of 10m. There also investors who also looking for land. We are giving out land tittles to reduce congestion. But the master plan on land will also help to allocate the land,” he said. Rwanda has a surface area of 26,338 square km.Ngomba disclosed that in the process of making the national master plan, consideration will be given to other maps already in place and updates of old maps like the 1963 topographic maps. He also said that the map will be a vital tool to properly manage the activities on the land to protect the ecosystem. Innocent Musabyimana, the sector strategic planning and external links expert in the Ministry of Natural Resources said that once completed, the National master plan will be used to protect wetlands and the development of inhabitants. “It will be used to identify suitable land for specific activities and show how land can be used to get the right income,” he said. Ends