By Taisiah K. Merfee

IPNEWS: The Chairman of the Liberia Land Authority (LLA) has underscored the quest for the realization of the land reform policy recommendations of the National Land Rights Policy as enshrined in the Land Authority and the Land Rights Acts, a sustained reform initiative, backed by strong political will is a sine qua non to the agenda.

According to Atty. J.  Adams Mannobah, amidst current support from Government, this national agenda continues to silently demand the urgent attention of the central government, particularly the Legislative Branch, for more budgetary allocation.

He said the LLA is appreciative of Government’s support and the cordial collaboration subsisting between the Authority and the courts, respecting land dispute resolution through court-ordered investigative surveys and alternative dispute resolution (ADR).

“This relationship is galvanized by appropriate judicious interpretation of the laws in accordance with their intents and spirits”.

Atty. Manobah said during the period under review, decentralization of land functions as mandated under relevant laws, was lowlily focused on due to the near absence of operational support from the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning (MFDP), the continuation of which may serve as a disincentive to attract donors’ support.

The LLA Boss narrated that the Institution remains of the conviction, nevertheless, donors’ support, most of which are targeted and planned outside of the government’s development agenda, of effective and efficient decentralized land governance and administration in Liberia which remains elusive without the necessary initial capital investment from government.

He added that appropriate government support will ensure the building of appropriate capacities of the Authority to generate more revenues for the central government, thereby making the LLA financially self-sustaining. Whilst the signing into law of the Land Rights Act on September 19, 2018, by President George Weah, has forever changed the land tenure system in this country, it equally gives to us, as a government, greater duties, and responsibilities, coupled with high expectations from the customary communities.

We do note that statutory recognition and equal protection of customary land, ensure the irreversibility of our land reform agenda.

Therefore, focusing on efficient funding to deliver on its promises, will avoid, as we constantly remind ourselves, the possibility of another civil or tribal war, which is inherently characteristic of prolonged and mushrooming land conflicts in any society.

He said in achieving their core mission, it requires us to re-engineer our services to enhance customers’ understanding and satisfaction.

We are determined to transform our capacities and capabilities to better serve all stakeholders.

 “Our plan is to put the Authority on a path of transparency in the land sector, fiscal responsibleness and financial sustainability to ensure that our mission, “Contribution to a peaceful, stable and prosperous Liberia through effective and efficient delivery of land governance and administration services that ensure equitable access to land, security of tenure, proper land use, and protection of the environment becomes a reality”.

The LLA Boss mentioned that in the year ahead, they will therefore employ a corporate business approach in the direction of modernizing our capacities and capabilities to ensure effective and efficient service delivery. With support from the government and our main partners, including the World Bank, UN Organizations, the Tenure Facility, and the Swedish Government.

He added that substantial concentration was placed on public awareness of relevant provisions of the Land Rights Act regarding customary land ownership, the functions of the Authority, and the Act against Criminal Conveyance of Land, as well as building the human and institutional capacities of the LLA and establishing a land administration system.

He told a news Conference on Thursday at the LLA office in Monrovia that Notwithstanding acute limited operational support, on behalf of the Land Authority family, I am exceedingly delighted to say that the Authority’s continuous passing of the requirements of the Millennium Challenge Corporation’s (MCC) scorecard is a concerted effort of us all, most especially the workforce of the Authority.

 “The Authority will continue to serve all stakeholders, especially our customary communities, as a strategic partner oriented toward collaboration, cultivation of donors’ support, finding practical solutions to land conflicts, embracing capacity building and transparent policies and practices”.

“Our targets set for FY 2023 are ambitious but achievable. Whilst we recognize the many equally important national competing priorities amidst declining government revenue generation occasioned by continuous shocks in global security and economic orders, current attending circumstances signal the need for increased budgetary support”.

“Since the establishment of the LLA in 2016, GoL’s support has been mainly compensation for staff with minimum support for operational expenditures such as fuel, equipment, and stationaries, while funding support to carry out program activities has been provided by donor partners, with no difference during the year under review”.

Chairman Manobah said the Authority lacks essential tools, logistics, and supplies for smooth operation, there is also interference in land dispute mediation efforts by the Authority, as lawyers continue to disrupt the process, while the lack of enforcement power by the LLA to enforce the law against the criminal conveyance of land continues to give incentive to perpetrators.

“The Center for National Document and Record Agency (CNDRA), despite several meetings to find an amicable solution, continues to refuse LLA access to the repository to authenticate and conduct searches for land-related documents”.

Coordinating the land sector continues to pose challenges during the year in a review such that sector ministries and agencies of the Government and non-governmental organizations proceeded with activities and projects in an uncoordinated way without reference to the Authority.

The Office of the Chairman provided a broad vision and leadership in ensuring the overall implementation of activities that led to the achievements made by the LLA during the period in retrospect.

Furthermore, the activities implemented were based on the 2022 Annual Work plan and the strategic objectives of LLA’s 5 -year Strategic Plan (2018-2023) and the revised Strategic Plan (2022-2026), and implemented with support from several donor-funded projects, including in particular-: 1)

World Bank supported Liberia Land Administration Project; the Swedish Government funded Capacity Building for Inclusive Land Administration and Management Project; World Bank funded Liberia Forest Sector Project, among others.

Work plan Activities and Achievements During the period in review, LLA’s focus areas were the development of policy, legal, and regulatory frameworks.

Strengthening the land administration and management system of Liberia; decentralizing land delivery services throughout the country; building capacities through staff training and reform of organizational management and development processes, procedures and systems.

Resolving land disputes; conducting public information dissemination and education activities on the Land Rights and Liberia Land Authority Acts in communities across the fifteen counties of Liberia; and implementing programs and projects to enhance the security of tenure of customary land rights.