Joseph Isangura
Tanzania’s National Assembly Speaker, Dr. Tulia Ackson, has decided to once again put on hold amendments to the Immigration Act and the Land Act, which were meant to introduce a special status for Tanzanians with citizenship in other countries.
These amendments were part of the Miscellaneous Amendments Bill No. 4 of 2024, which was aimed at creating a “Diaspora Tanzanite Card” and granting special rights to this group of people to own land in Tanzania.
The proposed changes to the laws were intended to make it easier for Tanzanians living abroad to invest in their home country by offering them the right to purchase land through a special title deed. This move was seen as an effort to attract investment from the Tanzanian diaspora, and support the country’s development.
However, both the changes to the Immigration and Land Acts have now been removed from the bill, with Parliament confirming that further work is needed before they can be reintroduced. This marks the second time these sections have been removed.
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The Attorney General, Hamza Johari, had first withdrawn them in September 2024, citing the need for more time to refine the details of the amendments. Now, in January 2025, Speaker Dr. Ackson has followed the same course, stating that the provisions are still being worked on.
Despite this delay, the government had initially reintroduced the amendments in November 2024, sending them to the Parliamentary Committee on the Constitution and Legal Affairs for further analysis. However, Dr. Ackson instructed that these sections not be presented at the bill’s second reading, which was scheduled for yesterday, as they still require further adjustments.
This development has raised concerns among Tanzanians in the diaspora who had been hopeful that the proposed changes would allow them to invest more easily in the country. Although the amendments are delayed, the government remains committed to getting them right before bringing them back to Parliament for further discussion.
