The Liberia Land Authority (LLA), Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), and customary land-owning communities, have resolved to strengthen collaboration in ending bottlenecks in customary land formalization processes across the country.
The decision to strengthen their collaboration was reached at the end of a two-day Community Land Dialogue (CLD) at a local hotel in Monrovia, organized by the Civil Society Working Group (CSOWG) on land reform, in collaboration with the LLA.
Funded by the Rights and Resources Initiative (RRI), the dialogue was held from August 16-17, 2023 under the theme: Customary Land Dialogue-identifying lessons, finding solutions and deepening efforts to strengthen Community land rights.”
It was between the local land-owning communities and the Liberia Land Authority (LLA), on the implementation of the Customary Land component of the Land Rights Act (LRA), developing solutions to issues of interests to communities and rights. It was also aimed at sharing information and providing update on Customary Land Formalization (CLF) implementation, including progress, achievements, challenges and lessons learned.
There were numerous presentations at the dialogue. They included: how customary norms, traditions, and laws can be used to deny or minimize women and other marginalized groups land rights during community formalization in Liberia; Customary Land Formalization – what is working and what is not working and why; How to analyze difficult problems during Boundary Harmonization and Confirmatory Surveys; Proposed Protected Areas (PPAs) situation and Concerns from a Community Rights Perspective, among others.
Delegates were selected from seven of Liberia’s fifteen counties, namely: Sinoe, RiverCess, Grand Bassa, River Gee, Bong, Lofa, Grand Cape Mount, Margibi, and Bomi counties.
Speaking at the dialogue on behalf of other CLDMCs, Madam Gbolu Flomo, Co-Chairperson of the Community Land Development Management Committee (CLDMC) from Lofa County, lamented that they are facing lots of challenges and need redress from the Liberia Land Authority (LLA).
She said “We want LLA and partners to help us. We want you to harmonize boundary issues between the various communities. This is increasing conflicts among us. Some powerful people in the various communities are using tribal certificates to take community land. We want a clear explanation on the use of the tribal certificate.”
A community member at the dialogue said “Our deed has not been given. We have been asking what the problems are, but we are getting no response.”
Also speaking, Ma Lorpu Kollie, Paramount of Zota District in Bong County, said “We are still waiting on the government so that we can get our land. While we are fighting to get our land, some big people are using their power to take our land. The government needs to do something about it or else there will be serious problems in this country.”
At the dialogue, they agreed to collaborate on working together for customary communities to get their deeds; CSOs and LLA setting a target in resolving outstanding boundary issues and completion of other issues; updating communities regularly at least every month; constant inter-sectorial engagements; LLA surveying government land in customary Land-owning Communities and catalog them from customary land; regular update on Customary Land Formalization (CLF) processes, among others.
Making a remark at the end of the dialogue, the Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Officer at the LLA, Lincoln Flomo, said the Authority sees the CSOWG as a partner in progress.
Flomo said “To achieve customary land formalization and rights, ownership and access, we have to work together. We cannot move without you. This is why we see this as a collaboration. Beyond this dialogue, please talk to us at any time.”
Kula Jackson, Deputy Commissioner for Policy and Planning at the LLA, said, “When the communities get their deeds, it gives them the leverage and we will start to see that economic viability and self-sustainability at the community level.”
Madam Bowier, making closing remarks, also said, “This dialogue is a step forward. We are disembarking from a stage of confrontation to a stage of collaboration. We hope that this can be sustained. There will always be disagreements, but we always need to come around the table to dialogue. So, this meeting is unique and we were able to have very good discussions from the community side, LLA, and CSOs, who have been deeply involved in supporting communities. We want to say what we have discussed here is not going to end here. We are going to take it forward and I can assure you SDI is going to help push this and we are going to be at the doors of LLA.”
The Working Group is implementing a project titled: “Advocating for the protection of Customary Land Rights- through advocating for their deed and long term security of ownership to their customary land” with funding support from Rights and Resources Initiative (RRI).
