A wave of hope and determination swept through the halls of the National University of Science and Technology in Bulawayo, as the second edition of the Land Tenure Leadership Success Series convened under the compelling theme, Unlocking the Potential of Young People. Powered by the national Land Tenure Implementation Programme and spearheaded by the Young Women for Economic Development, the event elevated the discourse on land from political heritage to economic destiny.
Dr Kudakwashe Tagwirei, CEO of Sakunda Holdings and chairperson of the Land Tenure Implementation Committee, delivered the keynote address with a message as grounded as the land itself, economic transformation must rest on land, and that land must be entrusted to the youth who will define Zimbabwe’s future. His assertion was not merely ideological. It was a call to action, to position young people at the centre of the country’s economic engine room through land ownership and agricultural productivity.
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Presidential Investment Advisor Dr Paul Tungwarara
The event, which attracted thousands of youths from across the province, pulsed with urgency and possibility. From dignitaries such as ICT Minister Dr Tatenda Mavetera, Bulawayo Provincial Minister Judith Ncube, and Presidential Investment Advisor Dr Paul Tungwarara, to ZANU PF national leaders Cde Munyaradzi Machacha and Cde Jabulani Sibanda, a unified message rang clear, Zimbabwe’s prosperity depends on equipping its young people with land and the means to make it productive.
Cde Machacha offered a pragmatic view, reminding participants that not everyone may own land, but all can benefit from it. His insight into positioning within the agricultural value chain reflected a sophisticated understanding of the modern agricultural economy, where opportunities abound in logistics, processing, marketing, and agri-tech, even for those without title deeds.
Echoing a deeper ideological sentiment, Cde Jabulani Sibanda framed the youth land agenda as a matter of sovereignty. To him, empowering youth with land was not only about food security or jobs, but about safeguarding the nation’s legacy and ensuring continuity of ownership within Zimbabwean hands.
Technology took a central place in the discussions. Dr Mavetera challenged youths to bridge the gap between digital innovation and agriculture, encouraging the use of artificial intelligence, drone monitoring, and e-commerce to revolutionise farming. Her remarks underscored that Zimbabwe’s agricultural resurgence will depend not only on inputs and rainfall but on how effectively it integrates 21st-century tools into its rural economies.
Beyond the rhetoric, the event produced tangible outcomes. Fifteen young people under 30, all children of war veterans, received seed capital loans of US$15,000 each, an investment designed to give practical expression to the land empowerment agenda. These were not merely handouts but strategic injections of capital meant to turn passion into productivity.
The Land Tenure Implementation Programme, launched by President Emmerson Mnangagwa in 2024, is now gaining momentum. With its bankable, registrable, and transferable land tenure documents replacing old 99-year leases and permits, it is not only transforming how land is managed, but how it is perceived, no longer a dead asset, but a living inheritance.
Perhaps the most striking shift is the redefinition of land from being a symbol of restitution to a driver of wealth creation. The new tenure model aims to unlock finance, boost production, and enable land to serve as collateral, thereby deepening access to credit and scaling up agricultural enterprises. Priority is being given to youths, women, and liberation war veterans, making the programme both inclusive and future-facing.
As Zimbabwe presses forward with Vision 2030, the success of this programme will hinge on follow-through, ensuring young beneficiaries receive technical training, access to markets, and continued financial support. What is being seeded now is more than maize or sorghum; it is a culture of ownership, innovation, and patriotic enterprise.
What began as a conference has unfolded into a generational reckoning. Bulawayo was not just a venue; it was the stage on which Zimbabwe’s youth stood ready to inherit not only the land, but also the responsibility of building a nation upon it.
