Liberia Agricultural and Environmental Journalists Network (LAEJN) Promote informed journalism and public engagement on agricultural and environmental nalists Network (LAEJN)
Press Release
Liberia has taken a crucial preparatory step toward developing a comprehensive national forest map, a cornerstone for meeting the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) through the validation of the consultant’s scope of work for the mapping exercise.
The process, led by the Liberia Agriculture Commodity Regulatory Authority (LACRA) in partnership with the European Forest Institute (EFI), brought together key national institutions responsible for forestry, land administration, and geospatial data. The session focused on reviewing and approving the technical roadmap that will guide its development, marking an essential step in Liberia’s efforts to align its agricultural exports with global sustainability requirements.
The validation represents a strategic move from policy ambition to operational planning. By defining the scope of work, stakeholders have established the technical and institutional parameters necessary for developing a reliable, science-based forest map, an indispensable foundation for the forthcoming National Traceability System envisioned under the EUDR framework.
The EUDR requires all agricultural commodities entering the European market to be deforestation-free and traceable to their exact geographic origin. For Liberia, where cocoa, coffee, and palm oil are vital exports, this regulation poses both a compliance challenge and an opportunity to modernize its supply chain governance. The validated scope now serves as a blueprint for integrating forest monitoring, land-use planning, and commodity traceability into one cohesive system.
LACRA’s Acting Director General, Hon. Dan Saryee, described the validation as “a foundational process for implementing the EUDR,” emphasizing that the forthcoming mapping exercise will “help rescue Liberia’s agricultural economy by securing our access to international markets.” His remarks underscore a broader policy shift toward sustainability as an economic imperative rather than a regulatory burden.
A key outcome of the session was the decision to designate the Forestry Development Authority (FDA) as the lead technical agency responsible for executing the mapping process, working in close coordination with LACRA and other partners. This delineation of institutional roles addresses one of Liberia’s long-standing governance gaps—inter-agency fragmentation—and lays the groundwork for a more coherent approach to land and forest management.
The next operational phase, scheduled for launch in November 2025, will be the Farm Mapping initiative, a large-scale data collection effort to capture geolocation data on agricultural plots, farmer identities, and land sizes across key commodity sectors. This process will enable the traceability of every cocoa, coffee, and palm oil shipment back to its origin—ensuring compliance with EU import standards and enhancing transparency within Liberia’s value chains.
Also in attendance was Richard Ngafuan, Director General of the Liberia Institute for Statistics and Geo-Information Services (LISGIS), whose participation reflects the increasing role of geospatial data in Liberia’s policy architecture. The involvement of LISGIS is significant, as it ensures that the mapping effort will be grounded in nationally verified data and aligned with broader digital transformation goals.
Analytically, the validation of the consultant’s scope of work signals a transition from concept to capacity-building. It reflects a deliberate strategy by LACRA and EFI to frontload coordination, clarity, and technical rigor before implementation begins. By doing so, Liberia mitigates the risks of duplication, inconsistent data standards, and institutional overlap that have historically undermined similar initiatives.
If executed effectively, the forest mapping project will not only facilitate EUDR compliance but also position Liberia as a regional leader in traceable, sustainable commodity production. Beyond market access, it offers long-term dividends in forest governance, land-use transparency, and smallholder empowerment.
In essence, while the Forest Map itself remains to be developed, the validation of its scope of work is a policy milestone—transforming a complex regulatory challenge into a structured pathway for sustainable growth and international competitiveness.
