Gbarnga/Ganta – A nationwide awareness campaign on the dissemination of information on the Land Rights Act (LRA) and the Liberia Land Authority Act (LLAA) has begun across Liberia with a focus on communication, the laws, women’s rights and community engagements.
The communication aspect of the awareness campaign is bordered on how can the LLA can forge partnership with the media to promulgate the LLA Act and the Land Rights Act; while the laws component of the awareness campaign seeks to provide overview of the four categories of land rights as enshrined in the LRA with emphasis on the key provisions of customary land rights, as well as the Liberia Land Authority mandate, functions, and institutional arrangements.
The Women Land Rights awareness aspect of the awareness campaign focuses on women and youth land rights in the context of customary land, and the inheritance and equal rights of customary land, among others; while the component of community engagement deals with the principles, methods, levels of community engagement in local communities across Liberia.
The awareness campaign kicked off in February 2021 in Southeastern Liberia targeting the ten remaining counties of Liberia, namely; Rivercess, Grand Bassa, Margibi, Nimba, Lofa, Bong, Gbarpolu, Grand Cape Mount, Bomi and Montserrado counties.
The launching ceremonies in the Southeast started on February 22 in Grand Gedeh county, and were followed by a robust outreach and sensitization program on March 4th in Sinoe County, covering 66 communities in 18 districts, including 20 schools within Sinoe, Grand Kru, Maryland, River Gee, and Grand Gedeh Counties.
The phase two of the official launch of the awareness campaign on the Land Rights Act and LLA Act which commenced on May 10th, 2021, in Rivercess County have ended in Bong County, May 24th, 2021, after completion of similar launching activities in Grand Bassa, Margibi, Nimba, and Lofa Counties.
The next launching ceremony will take place in Bopolu City, Gbarpolu County on Friday May 28th, 2021, followed by similar activities in the remaining 3 counties, namely; Bomi, Grand Cape Mount and Montserrado Counties.
However, the ceremonies held across the 6 of the remaining 10 counties brought together over 800 participants, including county officials, chiefs, local leaders, women and youth groups, People With Disabilities (PWDs) and Civil Society Organisations (CSOs).
The Chairman of the LLA, Hon. Atty. J. Adams Manobah, Sr., and four other Commissioners with separate oversight responsibilities of the fifteen counties and the LLA Executive Director, Mr. Stanley N. Toe, are providing technical backstopping and direction during the formal opening ceremonies of the awareness campaign on the Land Rights Act and the LLA Act.
Moreover, LLA awareness team headed by Mr. Emmanuel Chedeh Davis, Communication and Outreach Officer, is expected to commence actual awareness activities on the 10th of June, 2021 in Rivercess County right after the official launch of the awareness campaign is completed in Gbarpolu, Bomi, Grand Cape Mount and Montsrrado Counties on June 4th, 2021.
The community engagement or awareness campaign will be conducted in 3 districts covering 9 communities in each of the remaining ten counties of Liberia.
On September 19, 2018, the Land Rights Act was passed into law by the Liberia National Legislature then signed and approved approved by H. E. Dr. George M. Weah. After which, the law was published October 10, 2018 as a fundamental step in the land reform process of Liberia.
Since the passage of the LRA, including the LLA Act of 2016, the law is expected to have great impact on the lives of all Liberian across the fifteen counties of Liberia.
The LLA recognises wholeheartedly efforts from other implementing partners who have conducted awareness campaign on the LRA. We salute you all for your efforts thus far.
However, in 2020, the LLA conducted a regional training dividing the entire country into four regions, namely; Region 1: Lofa, Bong and Nimba counties; Region 2: Rivercess, Grand Bassa and Margibi Counties; Region : 3: Montserrado, Bomi, Grand Cape Mount and Gbarpolu Counties; and Region 4: Grand Gedeh, River Gee, Maryland, Grand Kru and Sinoe Counties. The training brought together local government officials, journalists, Community Mobilizers, CSOs, including staff of the LLA within the fifteen counties.
With support from the World Bank through the Liberia Land Administration Project (LLAP) the LLA was successful in completing its regional training. Today, we are so happy that the phase of of this project which is the actual awareness activities have started, and as well have completed in the five Southeastern counties, covering 66 communities, 18 districts and 20 schools in Grand Gedeh, Sinoe, Grand Kru, Rivergee and Maryland counties.
Chedeh Davis said the overall objective is to increase public awareness and understanding on the Land Rights Act and the Act (LLA Act) that established the Liberia Land Authority (LLA) in 2016.
Participants hailed the government for being farsighted and promised to work with the relevant authorities in bringing an end to land dispute cases in Liberia.
The awareness is the first since President George Mannah Weah signed and passed the Land Rights Act into law, giving customary communities ownership to their land.
