Addis Ababa City Administration Land Development and Administration Bureau Lifts Restrictions
The Addis Ababa City Administration Land Development and Administration Bureau has just lifted a restriction that’s been affecting agricultural land title certificates for months. The change opens the door for farmers to handle their land titles more freely, and it comes after real complaints from landowners who were caught up in the old rule.
Back on January 5, 2018 (Ethiopian Calendar), the Bureau put a restriction in place on land title certificates. It covered three types of land: residential, commercial, and agricultural land for farmers.
The Bureau wanted to stop farmers from selling or transferring their agricultural land to third parties. The thinking was that farmers could be economically and socially vulnerable, and losing their land could leave them worse off. So the restriction was meant to protect farmers and secure their land tenure.
During the time the restriction was active, the Bureau noticed poor governance around how it was being handled. On top of that, landowners started raising complaints.
To deal with these problems, the Addis Ababa City Administration Land Development and Administration Bureau decided to lift the restriction on agricultural land title certificates. The change took effect on August 14, 2018 (Ethiopian Calendar).
This decision came through a formal directive. The Bureau sent the directive to all its departments, as well as to sub-city land development and administration offices. Along with the directive, the Addis Ababa City Administration Land Development and Administration Bureau issued a strict reminder to all relevant bodies.
For farmers in and around Addis Ababa, land title certificates for agricultural land can now proceed without the restriction that had previously blocked them.
