A CUMBERSOME process and unnecessary bureaucracy in looking for and owning land and securing title deeds for the same in Tanzania is impacting negatively on the business environment and derailing the development of the country.

Only three per cent of Tanzanians own land and property title deeds, a situation that poses a challenge in attaining fast progress as envisioned in various development initiatives, including Vision 2025.

The Executive Director of Tanzania Private Sector Foundation (TPSF), Mr. Godfrey Simbeye, said this in Dar es Salaam yesterday at a meeting that was discussing ways to fast-track the issuance of title deeds and hence facilitate development.

"We fail to achieve development objectives partly because the majority of the people do not have title deeds for their properties which could be used to apply and get loans from banks," he said.

He said the meeting was intended to complement and support similar initiatives by the government in seeking ways to simplify issuance of title deeds as a way of improving the country's business environment. He said Tanzania was ranked very low in the World Bank's rankings when it comes to title deed ownership and therefore called for looking into ways to improve the situation.

"We are now reviewing the World Bank's benchmarks and the government's report on improving the business climate in the third and fourth quarters of the 2012/2013 financial year," he said.

He said the meeting will discuss the two reports and come up with recommendations to the government on how to simplify getting title deeds with a view to improving the business environment for the benefit of the people of Tanzania. He said the private sector would be happy if it did not have to take too long for someone who wants to establish an industry here to get a title deed.

He said it was high time the government built the capacity of the Ministry of Lands so that it can be able to issue such certificates on time and by adhering to proper land use plans. He said the US Millennium Challenge Corporation had put aside USD 800 million which will partly be used in land surveys and issuing of title deeds.

A TPSF consultant, Dr. Donath Olomi, said many and cumbersome stages in processing title deeds stalled development in the country. "There is undue bureaucracy in the whole process... we want to come up with recommendations on how to improve things," he said. He said if Tanzania met recognised international standards in issuing title deeds, it would greatly help in fighting poverty.