A farm land under cultivation by Socfin Agricultural Company in Malen Chiefdom, southern Sierra Leone
By Mustapha Sesay
Members of Civil Society Organizations (CSO), Community Base Organizations (CBOs), land owners and academics have called on the Sierra Leone government to create a land use management system in the country.
The stakeholders were discussing land acquisition, ownership and usage at a three-day ‘National Conference on Land Governance for Agricultural Development and Community Benefit’ in Freetown. They said such a system, if create, would ensure a clear mark distinction between and among lands that should be used for farming, mining and for building permanent structures.
Tonya Musa, Head of Department (HOD) at the Mass Communication Division at Fourah Bay College, University of Sierra Leone, said there was need for effective engagement to create awareness between land users and land owners in terms of what both parties should expect in return. He went on to say that expectation management was key in addressing the conflict that usually occur between land users and land owners.
“Transparent and accountable system around the process of land acquisition and dividend sharing is key,” Mr Musa said.
Sophie Allieu, Director of Forum for Women Empowerment and Development, also pointed out that community land usage was not clearly defined, and that most of the time government officials claim that all wet lands belong to government and that policies regarding land acquisition were done without much consultation with community people.
“It is difficult sometimes to draw line between government and community ownership of land in the country. And if the ownership is not clearly defined, it will be difficult to determine its usage. And it is also necessary to mark lands that should be given to investors,” she said.
She blamed the lack of coordination among the three Ministries that directly deals with land issues in the country - Lands, Agriculture, and mines, for the situation. She said these three Ministries lacked harmonized policy on land ownership and usage.
Adulai Bun-wai, Coordinator of Action for Large Scale Land Acquisition, said developing land policies in terms of its usage was critical because there were two classes of land users - those in up-country who depend on land for livelihood and those in the city who only need land to build structures. Thus, he said, any policy that favors only one part was dangerous.
Meanwhile, there have been serious conflicts between land owners and multi-national companies who are mainly backed by government in terms of the acquisition of land for large scale agricultural purposes. Socfin in the south and Addax in the north of country have been notable for confrontations that have resulted in violence and court cases.
Siaka Sama is the spokesperson for aggrieved land owners in Malen, which falls within the operational area of Socfin that is engaged in large scale palm oil production. Sama has been charged to court and jailed for allegedly conniving with other persons to destroying economic trees that belong to Socfin.
In his testimony at the conference which began on Monday, he said their lands were taken away from them unjustly for prices that were far below what they used to earn when they farmed on the land. He said they were branded as anti- development agents by those who were benefiting directly from the company.
© Politico 15/07/16
