The National Land Centre is expected to publish a complete National Land use and Development Master Plan that will guide all land owners on appropriate land usage, Evode Ngombwa, spokesman of the centre, has said.

Ngombwa told The New Times yesterday that the master plan, the first of its kind, will reduce unnecessary pressures on land.

"Every nation needs a clear land policy and the land centre is obliged to advise on proper land use. Whatever land available needs to be used appropriately,” Ngombwa said yesterday.

Currently, there is a three-year project that is demarcating plots in the country using aerial photography.

He added that at least eight million plots of land have been identified on a surface area of 26,338-squared kilometres across the country.

"We are giving out land tittles to reduce congestion. But the master plan will also help to allocate the land for specific activities,” he added.

Ngombwa added that currently, the land use in the country covers 14,000 square kilometres (160,000 hectares), equivalent to 52% of the total land surface.

The architectural work of this master plan is being carried out Swedsurvey, a Swedish consultant firm.

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