Liberia Agricultural and Environmental Journalists Network (LAEJN) Promote informed journalism and public engagement on agricultural and environmental nalists Network (LAEJN)
By Judoemue M. Kollie
Stakeholders in land and agriculture investment, in partnership with relevant state actors and civil society organizations, have converged in Gompa, City, Nimba County, to host Liberia’s second national land conference.
The conference, which runs from September 23-27, 2024, seeks to review the progress made in implementing the Land Law Act of Liberia. The participants will identify the progress, emerging challenges, and opportunities for advancing and fast-tracking the land reform processes within the country.
It is being organized by the Multi-Actors Platform on Land Governance and Responsible Agricultural Investment in Liberia (MAP Liberia Land Platform) in collaboration with the Liberia Land Authority (LLA). It comes following the hosting of the first national land conference which was held three years ago in Buchanan, Grand Bassa County.
The conference is under the theme, “Looking Backward, Looking Forward after the First National Land Conference.”
Gracing the opening of the event were some top government officials including Jacob Debee, Representative District #3, Grand Gedeh County, Nyan Flomo, Representative District #3, Nimba County, Samuel Brown, Deputy Minister, Ministry of Internal Affairs, David Akoi, Deputy Agriculture Minister for Planning and Development, Maepeh Kou Gono, Superintendent, Nimba County, J. Adams Manobah, Chairman Liberia Land Authority and among others.
Speaking on Tuesday, September 24, the Chairman of the Liberia Land Authority, J. Adams Manobah called on civil society organizations and the lawmakers of the country to join the Land Authority in the speedy implementation of the Land Law Act.
He said that the implementation of the land laws is very much cardinal to sustaining the peace for the country, and as such the participation of all stakeholders can’t be overemphasized.
“If this law is not implemented to the letter the nation is poised to experience the next civil war as there are land conflicts in every part of the country, “ he cautioned the participants.
Monomah underscored the need for the government to make land issues a priority for the national budget and not continue to depend on donor funding.
The Deputy Agriculture Minister for Planning and Development, David Akoi who spoke on behalf of the Minister of Agriculture, Dr. J. Alexander Nuetah said that land governance is crucial in enhancing productivity for agriculture and making rural communities peaceful.
He used the occasion to call on the participants of the conference to deliberate on those issues that will reduce land conflicts within the country.
The Chairman of the Steering Committee on the MAP Liberia Land Platform, Henry Augustus Roberts, called for the active inclusion of the private sector members, particularly the farmers in the discussion of land issues. Roberts said that the private sector must be involved in all discussions to resolve land conflicts.
MAP Liberia Steering Committee Chair who is also the Chairman of the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Program (CAADP) said the African framework on agriculture and food security laid serious emphasis on land acquisition for women and youths.
For her part, the Chairperson of the Civil Society Council of Liberia, Loretta Pope-kai said that Liberia still faces numerous challenges about land issues and there is a need for the government to adequately support the formalization of land in rural communities. “There is a need to explore innovative solutions for land problems and much is still needed to be done,” she said.
Meanwhile, the lawmakers, Jacob Debee, Representative District #3, Grand Gedeh County, Nyan Flomo, Representative District #3, Nimba County, who made separate remarks during the conference, have promised to work with their colleagues to make better budgetary appropriations to the Land Authority to effectively carry out its mandates.
Over 200 delegates representing various institutions including government agencies, CSOs Working Group on Land Rights Reform, academia and Community-Based Organizations (CBOs), Community Land Development Management Committee (CLDMC), national and international organizations as well as donor partners are attending the event.
Key topics being covered at the conference include customary land formalization, land rights of women, youth, and people with disabilities, land administration and registration, conflict around land using the alternative dispute resolution (ADR) approach, decentralization of land services, linkage of land rights to responsible agricultural investment with emphasis on livelihood and food security, among others.
The conference aims to identify improvements in policies and practices in agricultural investment linked to land, agriculture, and food security, as well as to identify and analyze challenges and plans the way forward in generating concrete commitments and practical recommendations for fast-tracking implementation of the Land Rights Act of Liberia.
