LGSA Reform Strategy for Liberia Land On
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A STRATEGY FOR FURTHER REFORM OF LIBERIA’S LAW ON LAND LIBERIA LAND GOVERNANCE SUPPORT ACTIVITY 2016 TETRA TECH, TETRA ANTHONY KOLLIE, ANTHONY MAY 2016 This publication was produced for review by the United States Agency for International Development. It was prepared by Dr. John Bruce for Tetra Tech. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This report is an update of work on land law reform strategy that a Liberian colleague and I did earlier for the Land Commission in 2011 (Bruce and Kanneh, 2011). The update is based on a study of documents and key informant interviews during three weeks in Monrovia from November 29 to December 18, 2015, and on comments and discussions on a draft of this report. As someone who has only been in Liberia for visits of a few weeks each over the years since the first report, I have needed a great deal of input and assistance from Liberian colleagues. A list of those interviewed is included as Annex B. I thank them all for their courtesy, patience, and thoughtful comments. My thanks also go to the Chairperson of the Land Commission, Dr. Othello Brandy, and the other commissioners. Special thanks are due to Stanley Toe, Senior Program Officer and Acting Executive Director of the Land Commission’s Secretariat, who provided valuable information and insights, reviewed portions of this report in early drafts, and clarified many points. Thanks too to Dr. Jeanette Carter, Advisor to the Commission, and Atty. Kula L. Jackson, Program Officer/Law Reform, for their input. This consultancy was supported by USAID’s Liberia Land Governance Support Activity (LGSA), implemented by Tetra Tech. The consultant gratefully acknowledges the valuable substantive contributions to this paper by Dr. Mark Marquardt, LGSA Chief of Party, and F. Mulbah Zig Forkpa, Jr., LGSA Research Assistant. Excellent and helpful comments on an initial draft were provided by Dr. Chris Moore of Collaborative Decision Resources; and Jennifer Duncan, Tzili Mor, and My-Lan Dodd of Landesa. Thanks are due as well to Megan Huth and others at Tetra Tech in Burlington, VT, for their administrative support of the consultancy, and to Daryl Veal of USAID/Liberia for his interest and engagement. I am especially grateful for the assistance and patience of the commission’s staff during the busy and stressful period leading up to the end of the Land Commission’s legal mandate on January 9, 2016. The work in which they have been engaged is vital to the future of Liberia, and they can take great pride in the commitment they have demonstrated and their accomplishments to date. They will hopefully be rewarded shortly with the enactment of the commission’s legislative proposals for a Liberia Land Authority and Land Rights Law.1 John W. Bruce Consultant, LGSA, Tetra Tech 2/28/16 This publication was produced for review by the United States Agency for International Development by Tetra Tech, through Liberia Land Governance Support Activity, Contract No: AID-OAA-I-12-00032, Task Order No: AID-669-TO-15-00003. This report was prepared by: Tetra Tech Contacts: Tetra Tech Mark Marquardt, Chief of Party 159 Bank Street, Suite 300 [email protected] Burlington, Vermont 05401 USA Telephone: (802) 495-0282 Zyck Baggett, Deputy Chief of Party Fax: (802) 658-4247 [email protected] E-Mail: [email protected] Megan Huth, Project Manager [email protected] David Felson, Deputy Project Manager [email protected] 1 These legal proposals are before the Legislature. References to them and their provisions in this report are to the texts as they stood in December 2015, when the consultant visited Liberia. A STRATEGY FOR FURTHER REFORM OF LIBERIA’S LAW ON LAND LIBERIA LAND GOVERNANCE SUPPORT ACTIVITY MAY 2016 DISCLAIMER The author’s views expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of the United States Agency for International Development or the United States Government. TABLE OF CONTENTS ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS ............................................................................ II EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ................................................................................................ IV INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................. 1 1.0 THE LAND COMMISSION AND ITS REFORM AGENDA ................................ 3 1.1 THE COMMISSION’S GENESIS .............................................................................................. 3 1.2 URGENT NEEDS INTERVENE ............................................................................................... 4 1.3 ORGANIZING FOR REFORM ............................................................................................... 4 2.0 REFORMING LAND RIGHTS POLICY AND LAW ............................................ 5 2.1 REFORMING LAND RIGHTS POLICY ................................................................................ 5 2.2 REFORMING LAND RIGHTS LAW ..................................................................................... 6 3.0 LAND ADMINISTRATION AND INSTITUTIONAL REFORM ......................... 9 3.1 REFORMING LAND ADMINISTRATION POLICY ......................................................... 9 3.2 REFORMING THE LAW ON ORGANIZATION OF LAND GOVERNANCE...... 11 4.0 PROFITING FROM THE LAND COMMISSION REFORM EXPERIENCE...... 13 4.1 LESSONS FROM THE LAND COMMISSION EXPERIENCE ....................................... 13 4.2 RETHINKING THE POLICY REFORM PROCESS .......................................................... 17 4.3 RETHINKING THE LAW REFORM PROCESS ................................................................ 18 5.0 STRUCTURING AND EXTENDING REFORM OF LAND LAW .................... 21 5.1 ORGANIZING FOR FURTHER REFORMS ...................................................................... 21 5.2 IDENTIFYING FURTHER LAW REFORM NEEDS ......................................................... 22 5.3 TOWARD A LAND LAW REFORM STRATEGY FOR THE LIBERIA LAND AUTHORITY ............................................................................................................................. 30 5.3.1 First Order .................................................................................................................... 31 5.3.2 Second Order ............................................................................................................... 33 5.3.3 Third Order .................................................................................................................. 33 5.4 A YEAR 1 LAND LAW REFORM AGENDA .................................................................... 34 6.0 CONCLUSION ..................................................................................................... 37 7.0 SOURCES .............................................................................................................. 39 ANNEX A. CONSULTANT SCOPE OF WORK ......................................................... 41 ANNEX B. PERSONS CONSULTED ............................................................................ 43 ANNEX C. EXISTING LAWS: ASSESSMENT, ISSUES, AND RECOMMENDATIONS ....................................................................................... 45 ANNEX D. SUMMARIES OF LAWS RELATING TO LAND ..................................... 65 ANNEX E. GOVERNMENT INSTITUTIONS WITH LAND-RELATED MANDATES ........................................................................................................ 106 ANNEX F. MATERIALS ASSEMBLED BY THE LAND COMMISSION .................. 109 ANNEX G. INTERIM GUIDELINES AND PROCEDURES FOR THE SALE OF PUBLIC LAND, MARCH 1, 2011 ...................................................................... 113 ANNEX H. AN ACT AGAINST CRIMINAL CONVEYANCE OF LAND, AUGUST 26, 2014 .............................................................................................. 135 LAND GOVERNANCE SUPPORT ACTIVITY: I A STRATEGY FOR FURTHER REFORM OF LIBERIA’S LAW ON LAND ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS ADR Alternative Dispute Resolution BOC Bureau of Concessions CLDMA Community Land Development and Management Association CNDRA Center for National Documents and Records Agency CSO Civil Society Organization DLPP Department of Land Policy and Planning DLSC Department of Lands, Surveys and Cartography EPA Environmental Protection Agency FDA Forestry Development Authority GC Governance Commission GPS Global Positioning System INA Interim National Assembly LC Land Commission LCC Land Coordination Center LCR Liberian Codes Revised LEC Liberia Electrical Corporation LGSA Land Governance Support Activity LIS Land Information System LISGIS Liberia Institute of Statistics and Geospatial Information Systems LLA Liberia Land Authority LMA Liberia Market Association LNBA Liberia National Bar Association LRC Law Reform Commission LTA Liberia Telecommunications Authority LWSC Liberia Water and Sewer Corporation MCC Monrovia City Council MIA Ministry of Internal Affairs MLME Ministry of Lands, Mines, and Energy MOA Ministry of Agriculture II LAND GOVERNANCE SUPPORT ACTIVITY: A STRATEGY FOR FURTHER REFORM OF LIBERIA’S LAW ON LAND MOD Ministry of Defense MOF Ministry of Finance MOFDP Ministry of Finance and Development Planning (former) MOGD Ministry of Gender and Development MPEA Ministry of Planning and Economic Affairs (former) MPW Ministry of Public Works NIC National Investment Corporation NGO Nongovernmental Organization NJDR Non-Judicial Dispute Resolution NOCAL National Oil Company of Liberia NPA National Port