Liberia: CSO Groups Rally Support for Land Rights Act, Call for Increased Funding

Monrovia – A conglomeration of civil society groupings under the banner of Civil Society Working Group on Land Rights Reform and the Multi-Actor Platform on Land Governance (MAP Liberia Land Platform) have called for stronger political will and increased budgetary support to accelerate implementation of the Land Rights Act (LRA).

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***By Emmanuel Weedee-Conway ***

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The call was made Wednesday, September 30, 2026 at a news conference held Monrovia. During the news conference, the groups unveiled the 2026 Policy Brief titled “Defending Land, Protecting Rights.”

The policy brief was produced by the Ducor Institute for Social and Economic Research and commissioned by the Sustainable Development Institute (SDI) and MAP Liberia Land Platform, with support from the International Land Coalition (ILC).

A History of Land Reform

Addressing the media and Liberians, Mr. Daniel Wehyee, Coordinator of Land Program at SDI and Mr. James Yasiah, Executive Director of Rights and Rice Foundation, traced the country’s land history from the 1926 Firestone Agreement, which covered one million acres at six cents per acre, to subsequent large-scale concessions that, according to the groups, contributed to dispossession, rural neglect, and the conditions that fueled Liberia’s 14-year civil war.

The groups recalled that post-war land reform, led by the Governance Commission under former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, culminated in the passage of the Land Authority Act in 2016 and the signing of the Land Rights Act by former President George Weah in September 2018.

Gains Made

According to the policy brief, the Land Rights Act has recorded several significant achievements.

They disclosed that approximately 70 customary communities, comprising about 380,000 citizens, mostly in rural Liberia, have completed the process required to qualify for land rights and are set to receive deeds for the first time.

Also, an additional 150 communities, involving approximately 800,000 citizens, are currently undergoing the formalization process, while key reforms have been introduced, including a Parcel Verification System aimed at reducing fraud and boundary disputes.

“A Digital Scanning Center has been established to preserve land records. A new standardized deed form with enhanced security features has been introduced. There have been modern surveying technologies, including drones and Geographic Information Systems (GIS), are being deployed. The Liberia Land Authority is collaborating with the Liberia Revenue Authority on property valuation, with support from the World Bank,” read the statement by Wehyee.

The policy brief noted that implementation of the Land Rights Act contributes to peace-building, inclusive governance, investment confidence, and stronger climate and environmental governance.

Challenges

Despite the progress, the CSOs identified several major challenges affecting implementation of the Land Rights Act.

Low Budgetary Support

The groups said inadequate government funding has made implementation heavily donor-dependent, with the momentum now threatened by the dissolution of USAID, which they described as a major donor in Liberia’s land sector.

Slow Formalization Process

The organizations also pointed to the slow pace of community formalization. With an estimated 600 to 700 clans nationwide, they said that, at the current rate, it could take many years for communities across Liberia to fully realize their land ownership rights.

Overlapping Institutional Mandates

The groups highlighted overlapping mandates among several government institutions, including the Liberia Land Authority, Forestry Development Authority, Environmental Protection Agency, Ministry of Mines and Energy, and the newly established Liberia Carbon Marketing Authority.

Limited Capacity and Public Awareness

Other challenges include limited technical capacity within relevant institutions and inadequate public awareness of the Land Rights Act.

Recommendations

The policy brief stressed that Liberia does not need to weaken the Land Rights Act but rather needs stronger coordination and greater investment to ensure effective implementation.

It called on the government and development partners to increase investment in customary community formalization, expand public awareness and education on the Land Rights Act, improve land data administration and management and strengthen county-level land services to bring land administration closer to communities.

“The LRA does not block investment, it ensures that investment proceeds on clear, lawful, and stable terms,” the policy brief stated.

The brief further noted that secure land tenure places communities in a stronger position to participate in addressing climate change and emerging opportunities in carbon marketing.

The statement was issued by the Civil Society Working Group on Land Rights Reform, Rights and Rice Foundation, and Sustainable Development Institute.