The World Bank Group has provided the Sierra Leone government a grant of US$41.1 million to support the establishment of an efficient and accessible land administration system.
The development was revealed on Friday, May 2nd, 2022. The fund, according to a in a press statement, was provided through the International Development Association (IDA), the Bank’s international development arm.
The money will be used to fund the Sierra Leone Land Administration Project, which is designed with the aim of strengthening the country’s legal and institutional frameworks. It will specifically finance the implementation of the core aspects of the 2015 National Land Policy of Sierra Leone, including the registration of customary and freehold land tenure, according to the Bank’s statement.
It further notes that the project will support legal reforms, awareness raising on land sector reforms, and significant capacity building for land administration functions. It will also support the establishment of appropriate Information, Communications and Technology (ICT) infrastructure, business processes re-engineering, development of a modern Land Information System (LIS) for automation of land administration processes, digitization of paper archives containing deeds and cadastral maps, and provide base maps and a geodetic network.
This support to the land administration system will enable the registration of customary and freehold land to strengthen tenure security.
World Bank Country Manager for Sierra Leone, Abdu Muwonge, was quoted in the statement explaining the reason for the Bank’s support, singling out prevention of conflicts.
“We believe that the project’s support for an efficient and accessible land administration system will have a transformative impact on the economy and society as a whole as well as positive impacts on agriculture productivity, urban development, own source revenue generation, and gender equality.”
He added: “The World Bank is therefore pleased to support the Sierra Leone Land Administration Project because effective and efficient land management systems reduce the risk of conflicts and offer opportunities for investments, which is critical for Sierra Leone’s economic development and poverty reduction.”
The Sierra Leone Land Administration Project is aligned with the government’s Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment Policy (2020), which identifies lack of access and ownership of land for women as a key issue. Officials say the project was prepared in close coordination with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, who has supported the implementation of the VGGT in the country,
Land Administration Specialist and Task Team Leader, Linus Pott, described it as the first major investment in Sierra Leone’s land administration system since independence, noting that they are particularly excited that the project was prepared in close collaboration with the government and civil society, based on the globally agreed upon principles of the Voluntary Guidelines for the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests (VGGT).
Sierra Leone operates a dual land tenure system where land in the Western Area is administered under freehold tenure, while customary land in the provinces is covered by customary tenure systems.
World Bank assessments revealed that only a tiny percentage of land in the rural and urban areas are mapped and recorded, while institutional arrangements are “opaque.”
The country’s legal framework for the land sector is not aligned with new technologies or principles of modern land administration and does not address women’s land ownership or land use rights adequately.
This project, according to officials, therefore seeks to ensure equal tenure rights and access to land for women and girls by addressing the out-dated legal framework and closing identified legal gaps, updating and harmonizing the legal framework for the land administration sector.
Minister of Lands, Turad Senesie, said the support couldn’t have come at a better time.
“There is a chaotic situation in Land administration and management currently in Sierra Leone. There are skills gap in the Ministry and the project seek to address those gaps,” Mr Senesie told ManoReporters.
He added: “Record management is a major factor especially land records. This is as a result of the fact that record management is manual. Fraud and forgery is pervasive and digitisation anchored in cloud will throw actors out of documents forgery business and make Land Grabbing a non lucrative business.”
According to the Minister, the new system will allow the public to verify land ownership with the click of a button, be it a cell phone or a computer, from anywhere around the globe.
“Ease of doing business in Sierra Leone will be enhanced when once we Implement this project,” he said.
