Originally appeared on Tetra Tech’s blog.
In Liberia, disparate government agencies managed land issues. One agency was responsible for storing land records, while another might conduct surveying and mapping. These silos were exacerbated by poor communication across agencies.
Last year, however, the Liberian Land Authority was established to consolidate the agencies, develop land policy, and implement programs in support of land governance. A functioning land governance institution and significant improvements to the land governance processes will enable Liberia to implement its land policy and the land administration to function effectively—halting the deterioration of land resources management. The Land Authority will expand access to important services like recording rights for rural customary groups, public information campaigns, and facilitating dispute resolution for overlapping claims.
Tetra Tech is on the ground in Liberia, implementing the U.S. Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Land Governance Support Activity (LGSA), which provides assistance to the Government of Liberia as it builds the capacity of local and national land management institutions and strengthens the political, legal, and regulatory frameworks for land governance.
LGSA is working to support the Land Authority by improving the human and institutional capacity for land governance in Liberia, which in turn will reduce tenure insecurity. Working with its Liberian counterparts, Tetra Tech is supporting the LGSA project in drafting a transition plan for the transfer of functions and personnel to the Land Authority, designing an organizational chart with staffing requirements for each department, and developing first-year and five-year action plans and associated budgets, among other activities.
Read the full post on Tetra Tech’s blog.