INDEPENDENT STUDY REPORT OF THE ADDAX BIOENERGY SUGARCANE-TO-ETHANOL PROJECT IN THE MAKENI REGION IN SIERRA LEONE MIKE ANANE COSMOS YAO ABIWU Study carried out on behalf of Sierra Leone Network on the Right to Food (SiLNoRF), Bread for All, Switzerland, Bread for the World and Evangelischer Entwicklungsdienst (EED),Germany June 2011 Table of Contents 0 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .......................................................................................... 7 1 ABOUT THE AUTHORS ........................................................................................ 11 2 INTRODUCTION..................................................................................................... 11 3 TERMS OF REFERENCE ...................................................................................... 13 3.1 Purpose of the research ............................................................................................................................... 13 3.2 Goals of the research.................................................................................................................................... 13 4 METHODOLOGY .................................................................................................... 14 4.1 Non-Interview Research .............................................................................................................................. 14 4.2 Desk/Internet Research ............................................................................................................................... 14 4.3 Field Research .............................................................................................................................................. 14 4.4 Contacts with Addax in Sierra Leone ........................................................................................................ 15 4.5 Data Analysis and Report Writing ............................................................................................................. 15 5 CONTEXT ANALYSIS ............................................................................................ 16 5.1 Project Description: ..................................................................................................................................... 16 5.2 Project Affected People (PAP) .................................................................................................................... 18 5.3 Land Use Analysis ........................................................................................................................................ 18 5.4 Actor analysis ............................................................................................................................................... 20 5.4.1 Central Government: ................................................................................................................................. 20 5.4.2 District Councils ........................................................................................................................................ 22 5.4.3 Chiefdom Council...................................................................................................................................... 22 5.4.4 Land Owners ............................................................................................................................................. 22 5.4.5 The Parliamentarians ................................................................................................................................. 22 5.4.6 International Organisations ........................................................................................................................ 22 5.4.7 Civil Society Organisations (CSO) ............................................................................................................ 23 5.5 Description of chieftaincy ............................................................................................................................ 23 6 LEGAL ANALYSIS OF THE LAND LEASE AGREEMENT ................................... 25 6.1 Legal Representation of Chiefdom Council and Traditional Landowners ............................................. 25 6.2 Compensation ............................................................................................................................................... 26 2 6.3 Key Provisions of the Lease ......................................................................................................................... 26 6.3.1 Permitted Uses Of The Demised Premises- clause 2.2(a) ......................................................................... 26 6.3.2 Quality Control- Clause 2.2(b)-(d) ............................................................................................................ 26 6.3.3 Forfeiture Through Breach Of Covenants- Clause 2.5 .............................................................................. 27 6.3.4 Covenants Of The Chiefdom Council- Clause 3 ....................................................................................... 27 6.3.5 Surrender Of Unsuitable Land – Clause 3.5 .............................................................................................. 27 6.3.6 Addax’s Entitlements - clause 4.4 & 4.6 ................................................................................................... 27 6.3.7 Right To Evict- Clause 4.6 ........................................................................................................................ 28 6.3.8 Referral Of Disputes- Clause 5 .................................................................................................................. 28 6.3.9 Human Rights Implications of the Lease ................................................................................................... 28 6.4 Concerns over the long lease period ........................................................................................................... 29 6.5 General comments on the Land Lease Agreement .................................................................................... 29 7 FINDINGS OF THE STUDY .................................................................................... 30 7.1 Introduction .................................................................................................................................................. 30 7.2 Analysis of Addax Commitments ............................................................................................................... 30 7.2.1 Addax commitments to human rights and corporate social responsibility ................................................ 30 7.2.2 Land lease price ......................................................................................................................................... 30 7.2.3 Farmer Development Programme .............................................................................................................. 32 7.3 Negotiations of the Land Lease Agreement ............................................................................................... 34 7.3.1 Legal representation of the landowners ..................................................................................................... 34 7.3.2 Negotiation process ................................................................................................................................... 34 7.3.3 Identification of Inducing Elements: Promises made by Addax ................................................................ 37 7.4 Access to land ............................................................................................................................................... 38 7.5 Access to water ............................................................................................................................................. 39 7.6 Women’s rights ............................................................................................................................................ 39 7.7 Use of Bolilands ............................................................................................................................................ 40 7.8 Labour........................................................................................................................................................... 40 7.9 Marginalisation of workers ......................................................................................................................... 42 7.10 Workers’ health and safety ......................................................................................................................... 42 7.11 Involuntary Resettlement ............................................................................................................................ 43 7.12 Grievance mechanism .................................................................................................................................. 43 7.13 Disenchantment ............................................................................................................................................ 44 7.14 Conflict potential .......................................................................................................................................... 45 7.15 Role of the State of Sierra Leone ................................................................................................................ 46