Tanzania Directs Regions and Districts to Reserve Land for Industrial Clusters

The Minister for Lands, Housing and Human Settlements Development, Dr. Leonard Akwilapo, has directed regions and districts across Tanzania to set aside and prepare dedicated areas for the establishment of industrial clusters.

Akwilapo said proper land use planning is essential to attracting investors because an investor needs an area that has been set aside and formally recognized for the intended use before starting operations.

He issued the directive on 7 August 2026 while inspecting the construction of a pre-primary and primary school in Mwankola hamlet, Lagangabilili Ward, and listening to residents’ grievances in Simiyu Village, Migato Ward, in Itilima District, Simiyu Region.

He noted that reserving industrial areas is also intended to prevent conflicts between residential, agricultural, industrial and other land uses that require designated sites.

Akwilapo added that his Ministry has positioned itself to strengthen oversight of the sector so that citizens receive quality services and their land is managed in line with the law.

He urged residents of Itilima to follow the laws, regulations and procedures governing land ownership and use in order to reduce potential disputes.

The Regional Commissioner for Simiyu, Anamringi Macha, stated that the region, and Itilima District in particular, recognizes the importance of titling land for citizens, institutions and villages in order to avoid land disputes.

The District Commissioner for Itilima, Anna Gidarya, explained that the district council aims to prepare title deeds for all 1,604 surveyed plots, of which 506 had been prepared and registered by June 2026.

She attributed the outstanding balance to unpaid processing fees.

“Title deeds for the remaining plots have not been issued because their owners have not paid the costs of preparing them,” said Gidarya.

The visit is part of a Sixth Phase Government programme to deploy ministers across the country to follow up on projects promised to citizens by President Samia Suluhu Hassan during the campaign for the general election of 29 October 2025.

Tanzania Industrial Land Reservation Policy

The directive builds on a long-standing national policy of reserving land for industrial investment as part of Tanzania’s industrialisation drive.

Under the Fifth Phase Government, then Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa reported that a total of 127,859 acres had been set aside for industrial use nationwide, in pursuit of the goal of reaching middle-income economy status by 2025 through the industrial sector.

As part of that effort, the government directed planning authorities to allocate 10% of every area covered by a City Master Plan for business and industrial investment, alongside a Strategic Environmental Assessment guideline to support industrial and economic planning.

Gazetted, planned industrial sites give investors legal certainty and help pre-empt conflicts between residential, agricultural and industrial land uses, an issue the Ministry has also addressed through the National Land Use Planning Commission by mapping village land use plans around strategic projects such as the SGR railway and the Stiegler’s Gorge power project.