Monrovia – A sustained and comprehensive land reform awareness to improve equitable access and ownership of land is ongoing across Liberia.
A land management specialist of the USAID run project on Land Governance Support Activity, Ivan Ford, said: “Liberia can’t achieve a land administration without a policy which establishes compact legal and fiscal regulation”.
He is calling for the exchange of communication amongst stakeholders to enhance the needed comprehensive reforms for improved and equitable land administration in the country.
The second regional Land Governance workshop among Liberian stakeholders to enhance the passage of the Liberia Land Authority Act is under way this week and is expected to run from August 10-11, 2016 in Central Liberia, for Lofa, Nimba and Bong Counties.
USAID Land Governance Support staff, Arcjie Bawu said: “Prior to the two days gathering we have conducted community mobilizations among chief, women youth and earlier as well as superintendents of the three counties for the kickoff of the forum”.
The awareness workshop is organized by the Interim Land Task Force and sponsored by the Land Governance Support Activity Project as part of the continues land reforms campaign.
The USAID Land Governance Support in Liberia introduced the Liberia Land Authority ACT to enhance effective management of land and bring about peace and security but awaits passage at the Legislature.
Mr. Ford called on all people including the civil society, government agencies to engage in information sharing for the management of successful land governance system and support the passage of the Liberia Land Authority Act into law.
The Director of Interim Land Task Force, Stanley Toe, said: “The land administration and land governance idea has spread over eight institutions so far in the country but has a problem of proper coordination therefore, the Liberia Land Authority Act, when passed will serve as a one-stop-shop for land issues”.
In pursuing the harmonization of land issues in Liberia, participants at a recently held Western regional forum in Tubmanburg City, for Gbarpolu, Grand Cape Mount and Bomi Counties, underscored that they understood with clarity, what land dispute, Land Administration and the ramifications of peace and security in Liberia concerning land they called their heritage.
The Participants and citizens of the three counties adopted a resolution for the passage of the Liberia Land Authority Act, based on their clear understanding and knowledge on the potential for land disputes Liberia could face.
The Superintendent of Gbarpolu County, Armah Sanor, read the resolution on behalf of his fellow Superintendents and participants.
Report by Jos Garneo Cephas