Zimbabwe will return 67 farms seized during the country’s land reform programme to foreign nationals from four European countries covered under bilateral inves...
Zimbabwe will return 67 farms seized during the country’s land reform programme to foreign nationals from four European countries covered under bilateral investment protection agreements, Agriculture Minister Anxious Masuka has said.
According to Reuters, the farms belong to nationals from Denmark, Switzerland, Germany and Netherlands. The countries had signed bilateral investment protection agreements with Zimbabwe before the land acquisitions began in 2000.
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The land reform programme was introduced under former president Robert Mugabe and led to the acquisition of thousands of white-owned commercial farms by the state. Government said the programme was intended to address colonial-era land ownership imbalances and resettle landless Black Zimbabweans.
However, the programme also disrupted commercial agriculture and contributed to economic decline and hyperinflation. It further strained Zimbabwe’s relations with Western governments, international lenders and investors.
Speaking in Parliament on Wednesday, Masuka confirmed that government had already started the process of handing back the farms covered under the agreements.
“We are in the process of returning those to them,” Masuka said while responding to a question from a lawmaker.
The move comes as President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s administration continues efforts to rebuild relations with Western countries and unlock debt relief after more than two decades of economic isolation.
Zimbabwe’s foreign debt stood at US$13.6 billion as of September 2025, including US$7.7 billion in arrears. International lenders have repeatedly called for reforms, including resolving land disputes, as part of conditions for debt restructuring and financial assistance.
Reuters reported that Zimbabwe is also implementing an International Monetary Fund staff-monitored programme aimed at building a track record of economic reforms. The programme does not provide direct funding but is viewed as part of broader efforts to restore confidence in the country’s economy.
In 2020, Mnangagwa’s government agreed to a US$3.5 billion compensation deal involving about 4,000 white former commercial farmers whose land was acquired during the reform programme. However, compensation payments have progressed slowly due to financial challenges faced by the government.
The latest decision to return some farms marks another step in Zimbabwe’s ongoing efforts to address long-standing land disputes and improve relations with international creditors and investors.
