VOINJAMA, Lofa County — The formal recognition of more than 40,000 hectares of customary land belonging to the Karzah Section in Voinjama has been hailed as a major milestone in the country’s efforts to strengthen community land rights, promote responsible natural resource management and ensure that local people have a greater voice in decisions affecting their ancestral lands.
By Selma Lomax, [email protected]
The land deed was secured through the Building Capacity for Sustainable Land Ownership and Inclusive Development Project, an initiative funded by the Embassy of Ireland in Liberia and implemented with the leadership of Social Empowerment through Learning Liberia (SELL Inc.).
The initiative is designed to strengthen community capacity, advance secure land-tenure rights, promote environmental protection and increase the participation of women in land governance.
Speaking during the presentation of the customary land deed, ForumCiv Liberia Country Manager Asa D. Chon welcomed the achievement as an important demonstration of what can be accomplished when development partners, local organizations and communities work together to strengthen the rights of customary landowners.
Chon specifically commended the Embassy of Ireland for supporting an initiative that, he said, goes beyond the issuance of a legal document by helping communities understand their rights and responsibilities over the land they have traditionally occupied and managed.
He stressed that securing customary land is fundamental to creating conditions in which communities can plan their own development while protecting the natural resources that sustain their livelihoods.
“We appreciate the Government of Ireland for its support to this process and for continuing to invest in the empowerment of rights-holders. When communities have secure land rights, knowledge and the resources needed to manage their land, they are better positioned to make decisions that benefit both present and future generations,” Chon said.
Chon further emphasized that the formalization of Karzah’s land should be viewed as an opportunity for the community to strengthen its internal governance systems and ensure that decisions concerning land and natural resources are made transparently and inclusively.
He said ForumCiv remains committed to supporting communities as they transition from simply possessing customary land to having the knowledge and institutional capacity required to manage it sustainably.
According to him, land security can help reduce disputes, strengthen community development planning and provide a stronger basis for protecting forests and other natural resources from activities that could undermine the long-term interests of local residents.
“This achievement is not only about having a deed in the hands of the community. It is about ensuring that people understand what that deed means, understand their rights and responsibilities, and have the capacity to use their land in a responsible and inclusive manner,” Chon noted.
The ForumCiv Liberia Country Manager also placed particular emphasis on the role of women in the land-governance process, noting that sustainable land management cannot be achieved when women — who play significant roles in agriculture, household livelihoods and natural-resource management — are excluded from decision-making.
He said the participation of women in Karzah’s land governance structure represents an important step toward creating a system in which community land decisions reflect the interests of the broader population.
Chon maintained that empowering women to participate meaningfully in land governance is not simply a matter of inclusion, but an essential component of ensuring that land and natural resources are managed for the benefit of entire communities.
“Women must be recognized not merely as beneficiaries of land reform, but as rights-holders and leaders who have an important role to play in determining how community land and natural resources are governed, protected and used,” Chon said.
The presentation of the deed was witnessed by representatives of the Liberia Land Authority, SELL Inc., community leaders and members of the local land governance structure.
Lofa County Land Administrator William Zayzay praised the people of Karzah for their commitment throughout the land-formalization process and reminded residents that the deed provides legal protection for their customary land as a collective community asset.
Zayzay cautioned residents against treating the newly documented land as an individual commodity that can simply be sold or transferred without regard for the interests of the wider community.
He stressed that the legal recognition of the land carries with it a responsibility to protect the property for current residents as well as generations yet unborn.
SELL National Coordinator Thomas Duana described the deed as formal recognition of Karzah Section’s rightful ownership of its customary territory, saying secure land tenure provides an important foundation for sustainable social and economic development.
Meanwhile, Madam Korpo Kemah, chairperson of the local land governance structure, described the achievement as an important victory for women and the wider community. She said the process demonstrates that women can play meaningful leadership roles in determining how community land and natural resources are protected and utilized.
The formal recognition of Karzah’s more than 40,000 hectares therefore represents more than the completion of a land-registration process. It gives the community a stronger legal foundation from which to pursue development priorities, strengthen local governance, protect its natural environment and safeguard its customary territory.
The achievement also adds to broader efforts to protect the Wologizi landscape while ensuring that communities remain central actors in decisions concerning the land and resources upon which their future depends.
