Stakeholders at the one-day session organized by the MAP Liberia Land Platform and partners. Photo ©MAP Liberia
21 March 2025, Monrovia- Stakeholders from the Multi-Actor Platform on Land Governance and Responsible Agricultural Investment in Liberia (MAP Liberia Land Platform) have concluded a two-day Orientation and Capacity-building session to kick off the Platform activities in 2025 by working to update the leadership of the Platform and bring new members up to par on the key processes of the Platform.
The leadership was represented by Platform’s National Steering Committee members and National Thematic Working Group leaders.
The session was held at the Ministry of Agriculture’s head office in Monrovia, and aimed to improve participants’ understanding of the key components and processes of the Multi-Stakeholder Platform. It also sought to foster a spirit of shared and inclusive leadership among the various stakeholders. (Put in a paragraph about the MAP for readers who may not know what is).
Thirty participants attended, representing a range of Civil Society Organizations working in the land reform sector, and government entities, including the Liberia Land Authority and the Ministry of Agriculture.
During the session, participants were updated on the status of the MAP Liberia Land Platform in terms of its current structure, programs, and financial situation. Participants also discussed critical issues at length including the financial sustainability of the Platform and the need to diversify its resource base; the need to improve data in the sector, the link between land rights and climate change, the need to monitor that community land rights are protected within the current national agricultural development programs.
The leadership of the MAP Platform decided the key advocacy issues for the year including The Land Rights Regulations, the ADR Draft Act, and the Government of Liberia’s pledge under the CAADAD to commit 10% of the national budget towards agriculture.
Additionally, the facilitators guided participants through the Dialogue Change Model (DCM)[1], explaining its evolution, key stakeholders involved, and the complexities they may encounter. The DCM seeks to create a sectoral multi-sectoral framework for addressing the complex challenges arising from interconnected global issues—such as land, conflicts, economic disparities, and the impacts of climate change, that require effective collaboration between the public sector, private sector, and civil society.
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. In
her overview of the two-day exercise, Madam Julie Weah, Executive Director of the Foundation for Good Governance and Democratic Initiative (FGGDI) and Co-convener of the Steering Committee, emphasized the importance of information sharing. She noted that members of the Steering Committee and leaders of Thematic Groups must receive regular updates on the activities of the Platform.
She added that such gatherings provide opportunities for leaders of different thematic groups to understand their roles and responsibilities while sharing their experiences and lessons learned.
Speaking on behalf of the Liberia Land Authority (LLA), Atty. Joseph N. Yeaney highlighted the significance of the MAP Liberia Land Platform as a key partner in ensuring effective land and tenure rights, particularly within customary communities. Atty. Yeaney informed participants that the LLA has issued five deeds to customary communities in River Cess County and expressed the LLA’s commitment to collaborating with all relevant partners in the land reform sector to ensure that community land ownership rights are respected.
For his part, Mr. Kollie Dogba, Director of Statistics at the Ministry of Agriculture, representing Hon. David Akoi, the Deputy Minister for Policy and Planning who serves on the Steering Committee, stressed that responsible investment in agriculture is essential for food production. He appreciated the work of the MAP and offered his Ministry’s support and willingness to improve the agricultural sector through the Platform’s engagement.
