With support from Christian Aid, through the implementation of the Pro-poor Land Governance project (IAPG), Green Scenery Sierra Leone, a Civil Society organization which promotes environmental protection, sustainable peace, livelihood security, land governance advocacy, and human rights protections, has concluded an eight-day stakeholders’ training and engagements on land deals negotiation in Port Loko, Pujehun and Bombali Districts.
The training which started from Thursday 22 October to Friday 30th October, 2020 was well attended by key stakeholders at district and chiefdom levels ranging from landowners to users within the project operational communities. The training is geared towards empowering community stakeholders including landowners.
The project Coordinator, Mohamed E.J.Kargbo, said the project started in 2017, with the overall goal of reducing poverty by improving food and livelihood security through respect and protection of tenure rights of landowners and users in Port Loko, Pujehun and Bombali districts, adding that they have made progress in meeting the thematic frameworks of the project interventions.
“This project entails improving rural citizens access to land and tenure security, enhance transparency in land acquisitions processes, advocating for women’s rights to access, own and control property especially land, advocating for land law reforms and implementation, improved knowledge-based capacity of affected landowners and users on existing land laws and policies that guides responsible investments in the country,” he said.
He said that access to land and tenure security in Sierra Leone are critical dimensions that are deterring rural citizens’ livelihoods, wealth and rural poverty alleviation, noting that land will enhance the socio-economic growth and development of the poor. “Investment on land should prioritize the interest and needs of landowners and users whose livelihood attached primarily on land,” he said.
District Officer of Pujehun District, Mr. Charles Munda Kellie, the principal representative of the central government and chief custodian of intelligence and security acknowledged, the good work of Green Scenery especially in land-related issues in Malen Chiefdom, noting that the issues around the land conflicts in Malen chiefdom stemmed from greed, selfishness, and poor knowledge on the land deals negotiation process.
He called on Malen citizens to maintain peace and allow dialogue as the Government is on the verge to resolve the land conflicts in the chiefdom.
He said that in 2019, the Government of Sierra Leone through the Office of the Vice President established a Technical Working Committee to investigate issues of land conflict in Malen chiefdom Pujehun district. “As a member of the Technical committee, we have submitted the report to the government for necessary actions” he added.
He called on citizens to exercise patience and direct all complaints on land-related issues and abuses in the chiefdom to him as he would do all he could in solving them.
Legal Aid Board Pujehun district representative, Kakpama Lansana, said that land deals negotiation training is relevant because it provides the necessary skills and knowledge that stakeholders and landowners use in engaging investors to enhance a society free of land conflicts.
The District Coordinator, Office of National Security, Pujehun district, Mr Osman A. Fornah expressed delight in being a part of the session because issues of land are sensitive in the district especially, Sahn Malen Chiefdom. He stressed that land is the main source of livelihood for rural citizens.
“Training like this will set the knowledge base of landowners and key stakeholders on the process involved in engaging investors to gain a win-win situation. It comes a time when Agric-investors on land see Sierra Leone as a virgin place to do investments in order to boost the country’s national development. However, the investment should not be at the disadvantaged of the locals” he emphasized.
The representative of the Local Unit Commandant Pujehun district, ASP Austin A. Kamara, called on the organization to continue its good work in the district, especially in land-related issues in Malen Chiefdom for sustainable peace and development.
Mr. Kizito G. Bangura, Chairman Human Rights Commission Port Loko District, said land rights are key human right issues, and added that the work of Green Scenery had been instrumental in the district. He furthered that the land deals negotiation training helps to broaden the knowledge of stokeholds especially landowners on the skills involved in the land deals negotiation process.
Bangura said that tensions over land are generated as a result of poor land deals negotiations and further applauded the work of Green Scenery in providing capacity-training support for the rural citizens on land deals processes, which he describes as timely.
By Stephen V. Lansana
9/11/2020. ISSUE NO: 7947