World Bank Mission Engages Port Loko Communities on Land Administration Reforms
Osman Tolo Sesay A World Bank mission has engaged district and community land governance structures in Port Loko to assess progress and challenges in Sierra Leone’s ongoing land administration reforms.
The engagement formed part of the World Bank’s Implementation Support Mission for the Sierra Leone Land Administration Project (SLLAP), which is supporting national efforts to strengthen land administration and improve the recording and registration of land rights.
The mission first met with members of the District Multi-Stakeholder Platform (DMSP), who outlined their work in supporting land governance, community sensitisation and awareness of land laws and reforms.
Discussions focused on the DMSP’s engagement with communities and stakeholders to improve understanding of land rights and responsibilities under Sierra Leone’s evolving land administration framework.
The mission subsequently travelled to Rogbere in Maforki Chiefdom, where it met members of Village Land Committees and the Chiefdom Land Committee at the Paramount Chief’s Barrah.
The meeting was hosted by the Paramount Chief of Maforki Chiefdom, PC Bai Forki Fainka II.
Community committee members shared their experiences in supporting land-related activities, including community participation in the recording, mapping and registration of land rights. They also highlighted challenges encountered during implementation and areas where additional support may be required.
The World Bank mission used the engagement to gather firsthand information on how land administration reforms are being implemented at the community level and how local structures are participating in the process.
Village and Chiefdom Land Committees form part of the institutional structures supporting Sierra Leone’s land administration reforms.
The Sierra Leone Land Administration Project, implemented with World Bank support, aims to establish an efficient and accessible land administration system while strengthening the legal and institutional framework governing land rights. The World Bank approved a $41.1 million International Development Association grant for the project in 2022.
The reforms are anchored in the National Land Commission Act, 2022, and the Customary Land Rights Act, 2022. The National Land Commission is mandated to oversee land administration and establish and maintain a system for registering land titles across Sierra Leone.
Recent World Bank reporting indicates that SLLAP has established District Land Commissions and community-level land committees in target districts, while pilot activities on customary land registration have included communities in Mapaki and Port Loko.
The Port Loko engagement forms part of ongoing efforts to strengthen land tenure security, modernise land administration and improve systems for recording and registering land rights across Sierra Leone.