MONROVIA –The National Alliance for Women’s Land Rights (NAWoLaR) has been officially launched, signaling a unified national front to dismantle discriminatory practices that have long excluded Liberian women from land ownership.
By Francis G. Boayue
The launch, held in Monrovia on Thursday, March 5, brought together government officials, civil society organizations, and international development partners.
The alliance is described not merely as a new organization, but as a national civil society platform that brings together a diverse network of organizations, community structures and individual leaders committed to advancing women’s land and property rights across Liberia.
Presenting the overview of the alliance, Mina Beyan characterized the launch as a “historic moment” born out of necessity.
She noted that while land is the foundation of economic survival in Liberia, women—the backbone of the country’s agricultural sector—remain disproportionately excluded.
“Today is more than the unveiling of a new alliance,” Beyan said. “It is the culmination of years of advocacy, reflection, and collective determination by women and allies who believe that women’s land rights are fundamental to justice, development, and peace.”
Beyan explained that despite Liberia’s progressive land laws, many women, particularly in rural areas, are still hindered by discriminatory customary practices, limited legal awareness, and fragmented institutional responses.
The concept of NAWoLaR emerged from the Rural Women Land Rights Day in September 2024 and was further solidified during the Second National Land Conference.
Stakeholders at both events emphasized that “fragmented interventions” were insufficient to address systemic barriers. “NAWoLaR was not created in isolation,” Beyan stressed.
“It was born from the voices of rural women… to ensure that no woman in Liberia is invisible in land governance again.”
The Alliance has set out a clear vision: a Liberia where women have equal access to, ownership of and control over land. To achieve this, NAWoLaR outlined four key priority areas: Institutional Building: Establishing a strong, accountable governance structure, Stakeholder Engagement: Mobilizing traditional leaders, “male champions,” and grassroots women’s groups, Policy Advocacy: Pushing for gender-responsive reforms and harmonizing customary and statutory laws, and Capacity Building: Providing legal literacy and leadership training to empowered women.
Serving as the Chief Launcher, Ali Kaba, Commissioner of Policy and Planning at the Liberia Land Authority (LLA), called for NAWoLaR to remain proactive in making women’s land rights visible in both rural and urban settings through coordinated action.
Echoing this sentiment, the Deputy Minister for Research and Development Planning at the Ministry of Local Government, Edward K. Mulbah, lauded the initiative.
He assured the group of the Ministry’s “unflinching support” in influencing national development frameworks to be more gender-responsive.
