Secure land and property rights are essential for improving the livelihoods of the poor and ending poverty. Effective and equitable land governance can also contribute to economic development, domestic resource mobilisation and climate change resilience. Promoting fair and transparent land tenure systems should therefore be a priority for national governments.

The Tanzanian government is working to establish clear urban land ownership and tenure systems. This policy brief reviews key elements of this programme, focusing in particular on the 20,000 Plots Project. This eight-year project is the largest land delivery scheme ever undertaken in Tanzania and is widely celebrated for successfully formalising a large number of plots, building critical technical and institutional capacities, and involving a wide range of governmental and non-governmental stakeholders.

The project was not without challenges. An assessment of ‘bottom-up’, participatory projects in Dar es Salaam revealed promising opportunities to make planning more inclusive and environmentally sensitive. These lessons can be included in future national initiatives, harnessing the knowledge and capabilities of local communities to co-produce thriving cities.