KATIMA MULILO – The 2016/2026 Zambezi Integrated Regional Land Use Plan (IRLUP) was officially launched by the Minister of Land Reform Utoni Nujoma in Katima Mulilo yesterday.

The 10-year land use plan will be used by the regional leadership in the successful implementation of sustainable and efficient utilisation of land in the region, which has been besieged by land disputes in recent years.
Speaking at the official launch of the land use plan, Nujoma pointed out that the current efforts towards the development of integrated regional land use countrywide are focused towards finding solutions to the efficient and sustainable utilisation of land.

“The zonation component of the land use plan assess vulnerabilities of land and based on those assessments, the plan then proposes alternative land use adaptation options,” said Nujoma.

Nujoma further encouraged the political leadership of the Zambezi Region to use the plan “for aggressive implementation and compliance monitoring”.

He further encouraged the region to take full ownership of the plan and show commitment, which he says in the end, will benefit the region.

Upon receiving the IRLUP the Zambezi regional Governor Lawrence Sampofu stated that the plan, will ideally form the platform for development planning within Zambezi Region, from which they will draw up their sub-regional and local-economic development plans.

Sampofu further appealed to the departmental heads in the region, to embrace the plan and fully implement the programmes and projects directed in it. 
“I strongly remind you all to monitor compliance of this IRLUP by seeing to it that you inset activities in your performance appraisals, unto which your performance will be measured timely for the benefit of the region and its people,” stated Sampofu.