The government of Jonglei State on Monday asked all investors owning lands in the state two weeks to have their title deeds reviewed or else face sanctions.
Speaking to Radio Tamazuj on Wednesday, the State Minister of Housing, Land and Public Utility Abraham Mamer Kur said the decision was necessary to eliminate illegal and unscrupulous bankrupt investors.
“Those who own investors’ lands n Jonglei, we want to call them as a ministry to come and review their documents whether they have the right documents. There are some people who have been owning lands since 2007, but they are not building them,” he said. “So, we want to review them so that if you don’t have the capacity to develop the land, then it is given to someone else.”
He added, “While for those who have structures in their lands, we also want to review if they have the right documents or not so that they are given land lease and title deeds. “
The official said they have been lagging behind in development because several investors have left their lands undeveloped since 2007.
‘As a ministry, we are supposed just to give a one-year provisional period. If you don’t develop land, we take it away from you because there are periods from 2007, 2008, and 2009 to date who have not been able o develop their lands. If lands are developed, it shows that there is development in the state, and it would also create employment opportunities,” he stressed.
Meanwhile, Mayen Biel Deng, the state ministry director-general, urged investors to get their skates on in two weeks.
“For those who had developed their land, they should come to process their documents. But for those who did not develop their land after this call, if they fail, then the state ministry will reserve its rights to reclaim the land and do other things,” he said.
According to the South Sudan Investment Promotion Act 2009, priorities in investment include agriculture, physical infrastructure, social infrastructure, mining and petroleum, research on and mapping of natural resources for economic use, medium to heavy manufacturing industries, transport and communication, commercial banking and tourism among others.