VOINJAMA, Lofa County – The National Union of Community Forestry Development Committee (NUCFDC) has reemphasized call it made to the National Legislature for the allotment of more than US$1 million into the National Budget of 2020/2021 as communities’ share of land rental fees.
The group early last month petitioned the Legislature to allot US$1,006,055.18 or 30 percent of revenue collected from logging companies in the last three fiscal years—2016/2017, 2018/2019 and 2019/2020—to communities as land rental fees. It said FDA calculation shows that a total of $3,353,517.25 has been collected.
More than a month on, Speaking recently on a local radio station in Voinjama, Lofa County, NUCFDC’s Head of Secretariat and National Facilitator Andrew Zelemen called on their lawmakers consider their request to help the communities continue their development initiatives.
“We are still calling on the Legislature to please ensure that communities affected by logging operations in Liberia get their just benefits, especially the 30% shares of land rental fees paid by logging companies to the Government of Liberia,” he reechoed the point made in the petition on a Radio Kintoma talk show. “We need our portion of logging revenue to carry on development projects our communities badly need.”
NUCFDC represents the 23 community forestry development committees (CFDCs) within all seven forest management contract (FMC) areas in Lofa, Gbarpolu, Rivercess, Nimba, Grand Gedeh, Sinoe, River Gee, Grand Kru and Maryland. It also includes nine timber sale contract (TSC) areas in three counties Grand Bassa, Grand Cape Mount and Gbarpolu.
Under the New Forestry Reform Law of Liberia, these CFDCs represent the interest of the communities where logging concession are located. They are entitled to 30 percent of logging revenue as land rental fees in addition to cubic meter fees and social agreements they sign with logging companies. This was a huge part of the forestry reform in Liberia in order to give communities their share of forest resources.
Since the last payment in 2017—covering payment made as land rental fees from 2009 to 2015— the government has yet to make a payment to communities, according to the group.
The petition came one year after the group’s first petition the Legislature over the payment.
The Government of Liberia owe communities US$8.3 million out of the $27.7 million it has collected but only $2.6 million has been transferred to date. The government is more than $5.5 million in arrears to communities, according to a Forest-Trend Benefit Sharing Report earlier this year.
“It is important to mention that the Government of President Ellen Johnson provided to affected communities US$2,622,000 as part of the land rental arrears it collected from loggers since 2009,” the petition read. “This amount paid to affected communities enable them to initiate and implement over forty (40) community projects including construction of schools, clinics, vocational training centers, road rehabilitation, guest houses, and community halls among others.”
The group claims in the petition it has raised the issue with the Forestry Development Authority (FDA) times without number, but FDA has told us that they are not responsible for budget appropriation or allocation.
It arranged a meeting with the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning (MFDP) but has gotten no redress.
The ministry and FDA did not respond to queries for comment on the matter.