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Sierra Leone’s Minister of Lands, Housing and Country Planning, Dr Turad Senesie, has said that, in the strict legal sense, there is currently no recognised landowner in Sierra Leone because most people holding land rely on conveyances rather than formal title certificates.
Speaking at the Government Weekly Press Conference in Freetown on Tuesday, September 8, 2026, Minister Senesie explained that a conveyance only serves as evidence of a transaction between a buyer and the person from whom the land was acquired. He said it does not, by itself, constitute formal legal title to the land.
According to the Minister, land across Freetown and the provinces is currently vested in the State because individuals generally do not possess formal title to the land they occupy or claim. He said a title certificate is what would provide formal recognition of ownership.
Minister Senesie said Sierra Leone has never had a comprehensive system of land title registration and the issuance of title certificates since independence. He disclosed that the Government has now moved to change this, with draft legislation already approved by Cabinet and being taken to Parliament for consideration.
He said the proposed system would formally register land and issue title certificates to recognised owners, giving them stronger legal recognition and greater certainty over their property.
The Minister’s remarks form part of a wider land-sector reform aimed at establishing a clearer and more accountable system of land ownership and registration across Sierra Leone.
