Monrovia, Liberia – The Multi-Actor Platform on Land Governance and Responsible Agricultural Investment in Liberia (MAP Liberia Land Platform) stakeholders have wrapped up a two-day Orientation and Capacity-building session to begin Platform activities in 2025. The goal was to update the Platform’s leadership and educate new members on the Platform’s essential procedures.
Platform’s National Steering Committee members and National Thematic Working Group heads represented the leadership, according to a press release. The goal of the workshop, which took place at the Ministry of Agriculture’s headquarters in Monrovia, was to increase participants’ comprehension of the main elements and procedures of the Multi-Stakeholder Platform.
It also sought to foster a spirit of shared and inclusive leadership among the various stakeholders. The Liberia Land Authority, the Ministry of Agriculture, and other government agencies, as well as a variety of civil society organizations involved in land reform, were represented by the thirty attendees. Participants received an update on the MAP Liberia Land Platform’s present state during the event, including information on its initiatives, structure, and financial standing.
A number of important topics were also covered in detail by the participants, such as the Platform’s financial viability and the necessity of diversifying its resource base; the need to enhance sector data; the connection between land rights and climate change; and the necessity of ensuring that community land rights are safeguarded within the current national agricultural development programs.
The Land Rights Regulations, the ADR Draft Act, and the Government of Liberia’s commitment under the CAADAD to provide 10% of the national budget to agriculture were among the major campaigning concerns for the year that were determined by the MAP Platform’s leadership.
The facilitators also led the participants through the Dialogue Change Model (DCM), outlining its history, important players, and potential complications.
The DCM aims to develop a sectoral multi-sectoral framework for tackling the complex challenges brought on by related global issues, including land, conflicts, economic inequality, and the effects of climate change, which call for efficient cooperation between the public, private, and civil society sectors.
The DCM provides a structured approach for planning and implementing stakeholder dialogues through four phases: exploring and engaging, building and formalizing, implementing and evaluating, and finally, building further, replicating, or institutionalizing.
Madam Julie Weah, Executive Director of the Foundation for Good Governance and Democratic Initiative (FGGDI) and Co-convener of the Steering Committee, highlighted the value of information sharing in her summary of the two-day activity. She pointed out that the heads of the Thematic Groups and members of the Steering Committee need to be regularly informed on the Platform’s operations.
Such meetings give leaders of various theme groups the chance to share their experiences and lessons learnt while also understanding their roles and duties, Madam Weah added.
Atty. Joseph N. Yeaney, speaking on behalf of the Liberia Land Authority (LLA), emphasized the importance of the MAP Liberia Land Platform as a crucial collaborator in guaranteeing efficient land and tenure rights, especially in customary communities.
In order to guarantee that community land ownership rights are upheld, Atty. Yeaney told attendees that the LLA has granted five deeds to River Cess County’s customary communities and reaffirmed the LLA’s dedication to working with all relevant partners in the land reform sector.
On behalf of Hon. David Akoi, the Deputy Minister for Policy and Planning who is a member of the Steering Committee, Mr. Kollie Dogba, Director of Statistics at the Ministry of Agriculture, emphasized the importance of prudent agricultural investment in the production of food.
In addition to expressing gratitude for the MAP’s efforts, he extended his Ministry’s backing and desire to cooperate with the Platform to advance the agriculture industry.
