Options for Securing Tenure and Documenting Land Rightsin Mozambique: A Land Policy & Practice Paper

One of the key aspects of the Mozambican legal framework for land is that Mozambican nationals can acquire tenure rights through inheritance, via peaceful occupation or through customary channels These usufruct tenure rights, known by the Portuguese acronym ‘DUAT’ (Direito de Uso e Aproveitamento da Terra), can be held individually or jointly.

This Policy and Practice Paper captures the lessons from recent initiatives that have attempted to turn this situation on its head and leverage the capacities of local institutions to provide land administration services. These include the local mapping and certification of acquired DUAT rights, resulting in the issuance of locally registered certificates, rather than the formal titles.