By Tokpa Tarnue in Voinjama, Liberia
As part of efforts to ensure the passage of the Land Rights Act by the National Legislature, a three-year Land Rights for Liberia Project has been launched in Liberia’s northwestern Lofa County.
The project was launched in the provincial capital, Voinjama by the Catholic Agency for Oversees Development (CAFOD) in partnership with the Development Education Network-Liberia (DEN-L) and the Liberian Law Society (LLS) with support from the European Commission (EU).
The EU-funded US$1million plus project will focus on promoting and protecting Land rights for National Development that is being implemented in four Counties (Bong, Lofa, Nimba and Margibi) particularly for marginalized women and youths.
According to the Program Officer of DEN-L James F. Tellewoyan, the three years project is being implemented using multi-faceted approach of awareness-raising, advocacy and Capacity strengthening across three levels: communities, civil society and duty bearers.
The project is raising the awareness of the community people about their rights to land based on the existing legal framework in Liberia.
He named some of the frameworks as the inheritance law and also the drift Land Rights Act and what its passage will mean for their secure tenure.
“It will strengthen the capacity of civil society organization (CSOs) and community based organizations (CBOs) to identify, support and advocate for those whose land rights are being violated”.
According to Mr. Tellewoyan, the project will also work closely with key duty bearers including the Ministry of Lands, Mines and Energy, Center for National Documents Records Agency; as well as law enforcement officials to improve both the methods of land registration but also how existing land rights law and policies are practiced.
CSOs in Lofa and citizens attending the launch of the three years project at the William V.S Tubman County Hall in Voinjama presented a petition statement to law makers of their county through the office of the county superintendent.
In their petition read by Mr. Boakai Hiamah of Basket of Hope Charity, the CSOs and citizens called on Lawmakers of the County to use their good judgment in ensuring that the Land rights Bill is urgently reviewed and corrected in order to make the Bill pro-community land rights and pass it into law.
The citizens indicated that the longer the delay to take action on the importance of the Bill, the more the possibility of land being taken away from communities, and that the country will experience more conflicts around land.
“Land Rights Now for Liberia, to ensure food security, secures a peaceful nation and development for all Liberians! ACT NOW, PASS THE LAND RIGHTS BILL,” the petition said.
According to the citizens, if there is anything genuine that their law makers can do for the people who voted them to office and are still capable of again voting them in or out of office, we say is the passage of the rightful Land rights bill.
They said, passing the Bill into State Law with its current state, simplifies that they don’t have any Land Rights Laws.
“Politically, a leader’s heartbeat is his people’s plight and we the electorates from this county have unanimously agreed with our brethren in other rural parts of Liberia to say OUR BILL, OUR VOTE”.
The failure of Lawmakers and other local county leaders to attend the launch was however described as a poor sing of collaboration from their offices.