Mozambique’s land law 2024

The document critiques Draft 1 of Mozambique's proposed Land Law, stating it enables land privatisation, restricts access to 'unavailable land', and lacks legal guarantees for community decision-making and protection against forced displacement. It highlights that previous consultations were inadequate, reaching only approximately 75,000 people out of a population of 32 million, and urges citizens to exercise their constitutional right to participate in the reform process.

• The proposed Land Law (Draft 1) introduces land privatisation, shifting away from the current system where land is owned by the State and used by communities, meaning it is not owned by private individuals or companies.
• Draft 1 creates 'unavailable land' through State reserves, which would make land occupation based on 'good faith occupation' or customary law illegal, thereby restricting access for marginalised groups and local communities.
• The proposed law fails to provide legal guarantees for local communities to participate in land decision-making processes, such as land titling, and does not align with international human rights standards regarding free, prior and informed consent.
• The legislation does not protect communities from forced displacement caused by development and extractive megaprojects, which the document claims are often masked as being in the public interest.
• Public consultation for the initial draft (Draft 0) was insufficient, consulting only roughly 75,000 people out of a total population of approximately 32 million.

APA

Natural Justice (2024). Mozambique’s land law 2024. https://naturaljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/English_Mozambique-Land-Laws-Pamphlet_-July-2024.pdf

Chicago

Natural Justice. Mozambique’s land law 2024. 2024. https://naturaljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/English_Mozambique-Land-Laws-Pamphlet_-July-2024.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Natural Justice |title=Mozambique’s land law 2024 |date=2024 |url=https://naturaljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/English_Mozambique-Land-Laws-Pamphlet_-July-2024.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{naturaljustice2024mozambiques, author = {{Natural Justice}}, title = {{Mozambique’s land law 2024}}, institution = {Natural Justice}, year = {2024}, url = {https://naturaljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/English_Mozambique-Land-Laws-Pamphlet_-July-2024.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }