Addis Ababa, November 2 (WIC) – The Ministry of Urban Development and Construction (MoUDC) said the new urban land lease holding proclamation has a significant contribution towards ensuring benefit of the public.
State Minister of (MoUDC), Desalegn Ambaw, and Land Development and Management Bureau Head with the Ministry, Israel Tesfaye, told journalists here yesterday that the new proclamation gives priority to the interest of citizens.
Moreover, it helps to fight rent seeking, alleviate corrupt practices and bring about transparency and accountability as well as rapid urban development, they said.
The officials also said the new proclamation is aimed at filling the gaps that the previous land holding proclamation had, which opened the door for corrupt practices.
Converting old possessions and land transferred thorough inheritance into leasehold will be determined on the basis of a detailed study to be carried out over the coming four years, they said.
The new proclamation also established a limit of 24 months for small projects and 48 months for larger ones. Construction projects that fall in between are expected to be completed within 36 months.
Lease holders can anticipate receiving the original lease payment with interest, the value of any construction and 5 percent of lease transfer value should they wish to transfer lease rights before completing construction on the leased land.
According to the officials, some 150 of the 950 towns in Ethiopia have been applying urban land holding lease system.
The new proclamation was approved by the House of people’s Representatives on October, 11, 2011.