The Liberia Land Rights Act: An Online Dialogue | Land Portal
Liberia Land Rights Act
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Resource information

Date of publication: 
October 2018
Resource Language: 
Pages: 
12
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The Land Portal Foundation, Landesa and the Sustainable Development Institute (SDI) co-facilitated a discussion on Liberia’s Land Rights Bill between July 18 and August 8, 2018. The discussion took place in collaboration with the Rights & Rice Foundation, Habitat for Humanity, and the Land Rights Now campaign. 

The full dialogue can be read here.

The discussion was part of a broader effort to support the passage of the Liberia Land Rights Bill. It brought together the perspectives of researchers, particularly those associated with land reforms in developing countries, international organizations, government officials, elders, practitioners and local Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) on the Bill. 

The Land Rights Bill (LRB) of Liberia was first developed in 2014 but lingered in the corridors of the legislature for more than four years and underwent several changes. Over the mentioned period, the Legislators conducted multiple private and public consultations and held a couple of public hearings. These interventions resulted into significant changes to the LRB and in 2017 a version of the Bill was passed by the House of Representatives. 

However, according to Liberian Civil Society and community members, the version of the Bill passed by the House was a dramatic departure from the Land Rights Policy (LRP) and significantly waters down provisions designed to protect customary land rights.  At the international level, the Land Rights Now campaign and local CSOs published an issue brief with several recommendations for reforming the LRB.

In an attempt to address the impasse, the discussion focused on key contentious provisions of the Bill.

Fifty seven people participated in the discussion that resulted into 77 comments, including those from the two facilitators. A majority of the participants were Liberians. Since the beginning of the July 2018, more than 1080 people had visited the discussion, and there have been more than 1,700 page views. 

Authors and Publishers

Author(s), editor(s), contributor(s): 

Ali Kaba

Publisher(s): 

About Landesa


Landesa partners with governments and local organizations to ensure that the world’s poorest families have secure rights over the land they till. Founded as the Rural Development Institute, Landesa has helped more than 105 million poor families gain legal control over their land since 1967. When families have secure rights to land, they can invest in their land to sustainably increase their harvests and reap the benefits—improved nutrition, health, and education—for generations.

To achieve our Goal, we are campaigning for an unprecedented mobilization of Indigenous Peoples and local communities, governments, intergovernmental organizations, corporate and other private sector actors, civil society, social movements, and citizens from all over the world. To realise the change we want, we ask that by 2020…

Our Vision


Our vision is a just world without poverty. We want a world where people are valued and treated equally, enjoy their rights as full citizens, and can influence decisions affecting their lives.


Our Purpose


Our purpose is to help create lasting solutions to the injustice of poverty. We are part of a global movement for change, empowering people to create a future that is secure, just, and free from poverty.


Rights and Rice Foundation (RRF) is a Liberian non-governmental organization registered with the overall aim of working for social justice and community empowerment.  Since 2007 RRF has implemented several programs and projects supported by donors and funding agencies like UN Women, UNDP, USAID, GIZ and Welthungerhilfe. Today RRF works around three key thematic pillars, namely: political and economic governance, community empowerment and conflict mediation. RRF now implements seven programs in 10 of Liberia’s 15 counties.