The Sierra Leone Land Administration Project (SLLAP), in partnership with the National Land Commission (NLC) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), has launched a pre-sensitization mission to equip local land governance structures with critical knowledge ahead of the nationwide scale‑up of land mapping, recording, and registration of land rights.
The exercise, which commenced on Thursday, 14 May 2026 in Maforki Chiefdom, targets members of Village Area Land Committees, Chiefdom Land Committees, and Town Criers across two sections in the chiefdom and subsequently another four sections in Bekeh Loko Chiefdom. The mission serves as a refresher on the committees’ roles and responsibilities, grievance redress mechanisms, women’s land rights, and the broader land reform process.
In Maforki Chiefdom, the orientation was held at the Chiefdom Court Barray, where a team of facilitators from the NLC, SLLAP, and FAO addressed over 60 land committee members. The session focused heavily on conflict resolution and grievance redress, preparing the committees for the arrival of field teams and the subsequent land rights documentation.
FAO facilitators employed interactive audio‑visual presentations to educate participants on their rights and responsibilities, drawing keen interest from the audience. The session was chaired by the District Commissioner of the NLC, with chiefdom, section, and village authorities turning out in large numbers to witness the occasion.
“Land committee members in Maforki are now armed with critical education on how to proceed before and when the field teams arrive,” Abdul Fonti, SLLAP’s Community Engagement and Communication Specialist stated. The training ensures that local bodies can support conflict prevention, address disputes early, and uphold women’s land rights during the upcoming registration drive.
The scale‑up of land mapping, recording, and registration of land rights in the targeted communities is scheduled to begin on Monday, 18 May 2026.
Following the Maforki session, the same orientation will be replicated in Bekeh Loko Chiefdom from Monday, 18 May 2026 to Thursday, 21 May 2026. Further public awareness activities will include radio discussion programs, a street float parade with loudspeakers, and town crier announcements—all designed to sensitize communities ahead of the field teams’ arrival in that part of the country.
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About the Sierra Leone Land Administration Project
The SLLAP works to strengthen land governance, improve security of tenure, and streamline land administration services across Sierra Leone in collaboration with the National Land Commission and development partners.
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