USAID’s September/October 2012 Issue of FrontLines magazine features an article by Anthony Piaskowy titled Liberia’s Future Land Experts. The article highlights a USAID program that provides scholarships to five Liberian students to obtain Masters Degrees in Land Administration/Surveying. These students are gaining valuable skills in modern surveying techniques and, upon completion of their studies, will return to Liberia to work for the national government and assist the University of Monrovia develop a new curriculum in land surveying and administration.
Effective land administration – and building the local capacity to carry out that administration – is key to promoting stability and decreasing conflict in Liberia. The country emerged from a 14-year civil war in 2003 and property rights remain a source of conflict. With the support of this USAID-led scholarship program, Liberia’s future land experts will help prevent future conflicts and promote economic development in their home country.