By Prince J Musa in Kenema
The Network Movement for Justice and Development (NMJD) through the Land for Life Consortium has on the 21st December, 2021 engaged its district Multi-Stakeholder Partners (DMSP) in Kenema.
The multi-stakeholder partners were drawn from their operational districts of Porto Loko, Pujehun, Kenema and Tonkolili.
In his opening statement, the National Coordinator for Land for Life project, Berns Komba Lebbie said the engagement with the platform members was to share their experiences, challenges and successes in mediating the land conflicts existing in their various districts and to plan for 2022 activities.
He said they thought it necessary to establish the district multi-stakeholder platform to intervene in mediating land conflicts within their district through regular monthly meetings from which chiefdom land committees have been formed.
He said the meeting will enable district members to understand land issues in other districts and the approaches used in mitigating some of those land conflicts, adding that some of the activities and challenges presented by the DMSPs will be factored into their national plan for next year.
Allieu Badara Kanu from Port Loko district said presentations from various districts show that dialogue is the most appropriate means to mediate land conflicts.
A female representative from Pujehun district Mary Sellu described the engagement as an eye-opener for them as women saying that over the years, women were not recognized when it comes to land issues in their communities. However, she said the voices of women should be heard, especially when the national land policy is now in parliament for deliberation. She called on women not to sit by and be deprived of their lands but to stand firm and be considered in all land arrangement in their communities and chiefdoms especially when investors are in high demand for land.
In his statement, the Executive Director of NMJD, Abu Brima commended the DMSP members from various districts for the work done in 2021 in terms of probing land- related disputes while calling on them to do more in ensuring better land governance.
He stated that it is the performance of the DMSP that continues to build public confidence in their intervention of all the land disputes.
Brima assured the participants that their presentations will be documented and shared with other countries such as Ethiopia.
The land for life project is implemented by a coalition of civil society organisations in different countries across Africa aimed at promoting inclusive land governance and other environmental issues which deal with biodiversity and climate change.
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