Monrovia – Senator Albert Chie, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Lands, Mines, Energy and Natural Resources, has challenged Liberian officials responsible for handling land matters in the country to act appropriately and promptly.
Senator Chie, speaking at a public hearing of commissioners of the newly created agency stressed that the issue of land conflict is a major problem that needs to be resolved quickly and efficiently.
During Monday’s confirmation hearing for the commissioner-designate for Land, Planning and Policy, J. Adams Manobah, of the Liberia Land Authority, the Grand Kru County lawmaker said due to the voluminous responsibility of the Ministry of Lands, Mines and Energy, land conflict resolution has been weakened.
He added that the creation of the Land Authority seeks to address various land conflicts in the country.
Senator Chie told the Commissioner-designate that his confirmation hearing and vetting process are few of the several steps to ensuring that the new commission gets the best to ensure land conflicts are adequately resolved.
Testifying before the committee, Manobah boasted of his vast experience in land, planning and policy as well as his experience in real estate management, saying those are good reasons for the Senate to confirm him.
“Because of my experience and the level work I did at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as manager of Land, Planning and Policy, I believe this is why I was seconded as Commissioner-designate. So Senators, I can assure you I will perform to the expectation of the law establishing the authority,” he said.
“If the land rights Act is passed, it needs to be reviewed and reduced to regulations that will fast track land conflicts.”
“Because one of the major challenges in the land sector is private land and concession land conflicts.”
According to him, in order to resolve these land conflicts, there must be title registration rather than clinching to the deeds registration which he described as “the crux of land conflicts”.
Commissioner-designate Manobah said in order to make the authority vibrant, there is a need for resource mobilization, capacity building and training.