Ever since Namibia gained independence from South Africa in 1990, its government has been working to redistribute land from white owners to black farmers to ensure proper land ownership and make sure no one gets left out of the country’s economic development. In 2007, the government announced that it had successfully redistributed 98% of farmland, but an investigation by the Rural People’s Party claims that this number is just a publicity stunt and only 10-15% has actually been redistributed so far.

The current state of land reform in Namibia

When the first democratic election of 1991 swept away the apartheid regime, Namibian President Sam Nujoma set out to implement land reform. According to research from the University of Namibia, by 1999, 6.7 million acres (26% of Namibia) had been redistributed. A decade later, in 2009, that number was up to 9 million acres (36% of Namibia). In recent years, however, progress has slowed as a result of a sluggish economic environment and high unemployment.

Who are the main beneficiaries of land reform?

Since Namibia gained independence in 1990, the country has been working to redistribute land. The first phase of this process was completed in 1997, but the second and final phase of redistribution is yet to be finished. Some main beneficiaries of land reform are those who were dispossessed during apartheid and others who have been working for generations on white-owned farms. However, these reforms are not without their challenges. For example, there have been issues with determining ownership of some plots due to a lack of records.