By Alpha Abu
A government moratorium on the lease or sale of State Lands imposed in February this year because of the jumbled nature of the process, has been lifted. A statement from the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Country Planning disclosed that outstanding documents on land administration and management will resume on the 25th October 2021 beginning with Freehold Land issues.
Land matters connected to Conveyance and Survey Plans will be dealt with starting, on the 1st November and 9th November, respectively. According to the ministry, new applications for state land will only be considered after backlog cases have been addressed.
It has also been announced that another model for the sale of state lands has been developed and approved by cabinet, and will be rolled out to the public soon.
Also mentioned in the press release was the presentation to President Julius Maada Bio of the Report by the Committee on Land Conflict and Resolutions. It was setup soon after the appointment of Minister Dr. Turad Senessie to look at the numerous complaints linked to state lands.
The committee began sittings at the Central Bank’s Conference Complex at Kingtom, Freetown on Tuesday 9 March 2021. The committee on the 8th October 2021 presented its report on hundreds of cases it had dealt with predominantly in the Western Area, to President Bio.
Following the end of Sierra Leone’s civil conflict in 2002, the Western Area where the capital Freetown is located, has experienced a massive building constructive drive. This has led to sometimes violent clashes involving people contesting ownership of land property, with a number of fatalities reported. Successive governments have had to grapple with the tumultuous nature surrounding acquisition of especially state lands. Lands Ministry officials have been accused of further compounding the problem by being ineffective or corruptly colluding with others in land disputes. So acrimonious was the situation that President replaced then Minister Dr. Dennis Sandy early this year. His successor Dr. Turad Senessie has since embarked on an initiative to sanitise the ministry especially the state lands sector.
Copyright © Politico Online 22/10/21
