Media Wire Express Correspondent
Deputy Minister of Lands, Housing, and Human Settlements Development, Geoffrey Mizengo Pinda, has expressed the readiness of his ministry to collaborate with other government institutions, including sector ministries, in establishing effective land use plans.
This collaborative effort is seen as a crucial step in addressing land conflicts arising from rural communities encroaching on institutional lands.
Speaking at a stakeholders’ meeting convened by the National Land Use Planning Commission, Deputy Minister Pinda highlighted the urgent need to address the encroachment issue, citing the example of the wildlife corridor adjacent to the Minjingu Fertilizer Plant, linking Tarangire National Park and Manyara National Park. He emphasized the necessity for collaboration between his ministry, the National Land Use Planning Commission, and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism to demarcate and protect this corridor threatened by human activities in the vicinity.
Deputy Minister Pinda reiterated these sentiments while delivering the opening speech on behalf of Minister Jerry Silaa at the stakeholders’ meeting in Dodoma yesterday. He affirmed the ministry’s commitment to collaborating with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism in identifying areas deemed crucial for the nation’s benefit.
Furthermore, Deputy Minister Pinda urged the National Land Use Planning Commission to work expeditiously with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism to take preventive measures to preserve the wildlife corridor. He emphasized the importance of proactive intervention to avoid resorting to forceful evictions in the future.
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In another development, Minister Pinda called upon all planning authorities, including all municipal councils nationwide, to ensure that all drafted plans, developed in collaboration with stakeholders, are submitted to the National Land Use Planning Commission for registration and subsequent publication in the Government Gazette.
Meanwhile, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Lands, Housing, and Human Settlements Development, Eng. Anthony Sanga, informed the participants of the stakeholders’ meeting that the rural population had increased by 2.4 percent annually, with over 8.6 million households residing in rural areas, constituting 60.3 percent of all households nationwide.
The stakeholders’ meeting concluded with a call for enhanced collaboration among government institutions, stakeholders, and communities to address land use planning challenges and ensure sustainable development for Tanzania’s future generations.
