MONROVIA — The National Benefit Sharing Trust Board (NBSTB) said the Government of Liberia owes forest affected communities more than US$3 million in land rental fees accrued through commercial logging activities.
The NBSTB is the body that is responsible to oversee the distribution and management of the community share of the land rental fee.
Recently, in an exclusive interview with reporters, the chairperson of the National Benefit Sharing Trust Board (NBSTB), Nora Bowier said the amount in question, is money that the government has failed to remit to the NBSTB over the last four years to carry out major developmental projects in counties where concessions activities are being implemented.
Madam Boweir speaking during the launch of a 12-month forest benefit project on recently in Paynesville said that her institution has made frantic effort to engage the government, particularly the Ministry of Finance and development Plannig on its commitment to remit the fund but to no avail.
The 12-months project seeks to build the capacity of the NBST to effectively monitor and evaluate projects awarded to forest affected communities.
It is under the frame work of the Forest Law Enforcement, Governance, and Trade (FLEGT) Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA) signed by the Government of Liberia (GoL) with support from Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in Liberia through the European Union (EU). The project aims to improve forest governance, through the provision of technical assistance, building the capacity of forest committees to undertake necessary projects in eligible forest affected countries.
According to Madam Bowier the forest policy of Liberia states that the GoL is obligated to remit 30 percent of the money generated from the forest paid by concessions to government yearly, to develop forest affected communities.
She said that it is however unfortunate that from 2017 to present, her institution is yet to receive a cent from land rental fee from the government, something she lamented is seriously impeding development in forest affected communities.
“Since 2017, there has been no funding from the government provided to the communities. The government is supposed to provide to the communities its share of the land rental fees paid by concession companies engaged in commercial logging activities in the country,” she explained.
“We have been approaching the government on this matter in different ways. We did engage the Finance Ministry in an effort to hold a discussion on the way forward on how to make the payment to affected communities but this did not yield fruitful result. The Finance Ministry has not been able to make any commitment so far.
She went further to explained that in November 2020, the National Forest Forum was held to discuss how the government and the Board could work to manage the resources from the forests to benefit communities, but top officials of the Ministry of Finance who were invited failed to attend.
“We convened the National Forest Forum to discuss how we can manage money that should come to our institution to develop forest affected communities. However, it was so saddened to realize that the government could not give any commitment as top officials of the Ministry of Finance were not represented.
Madam Bowier also said that though the government owed communities huge just benefit from commercial logging, it is observed that concessions are also not prompt in making payment to the government, something she stated that they are now engaging the government to ensure that that concessions make timely payments.
“We are also asking the government to make sure that companies make payments in a timely manner. We are doing this by working harder with the Union of communities’ forest development committees,” she added.
The chair of the NBSTB, stressed the need for the review of the procedure in remitting funds gotten from concessions for the communities.
“To move forward we are contemplating on reviewing the procedures around payment. We intend that instead of the money going through the government, it should be directed to the account of the Trust Board,” she stated.
The President of the National Union of Communities Forest Development Committees (NUCFDC), Vincent T. Doe said that his organization would do a lot to develop forest affected communities, if only government remains committed in remitting fund that belongs to the communities.
He said that the Union (NUCFDC) which is the umbrella organization of all community forests development committees is working with the National Trust Board to ensure that forest affected communities receive just benefits from land rental fees and other benefits gotten from the forests.
“The issue that relates to the government not remitting fund particularly the 30 percent that belongs to the communities is something that this administration needs not to overlook. The government’s failure to give back to the communities in my opinion is a serious contradiction of the country’s development agenda,” he angrily told reporters.
“We have applied a lot of effort and our plans are now getting exerted and we are, somewhat confused about this matter. If we applied all of the diplomacies and we are not successful, we will definitely pursue court action,” he warned.
Mr. Doe further mentioned that in September last year, they wrote a letter to the Legislature partitioning them to put money owed to the communities in the fiscal year 2020-2021 national budget, but said that lawmakers are yet to provide any a feedback.
When contacted the Deputy Managing Director for Operation at the Forestry Development Authority (FDA), Joseph J. Tally confirmed that indeed the government is owing an outstanding amount of land rental fees that belong to the communities. However, the Deputy Managing Director could not confirmed the actual amount.
“The FDA is working with the Trust Board and other forest governing bodies as well as CSOs to make sure that funding that belongs to the communities is remitted for necessary developments. The communities have received other benefits but the land rental fee is still outstanding,” he said.
Meanwhile, this newspaper attempted reaching officials of the Ministry of Finance to ascertain their knowledge on money owed communities by the government. But all efforts applied through phone calls did not materialize up to the publication of this article.