Liberia

Goal: In collaboration with government and civil society, strengthen the land rights of rural communities to promote gender equity, sustainable development, and climate resilience.

One of the most progressive land rights reforms on the African continent.

When Liberia enacted the Land Rights Law in 2018, it was hailed by civil society groups as “one of the most progressive land rights reforms on the African continent.” For the first time in the country’s history, Liberia’s rural communities could enjoy secure rights to land. And with key provisions for women’s land rights, the new law ensures that no one is left behind.

Since 2010, Landesa has supported development of gender-equitable and socially inclusive land laws (including the Land Rights Law itself), conducted integral research, built government and civil society capacity to offer solutions to land issues, and facilitated essential education and awareness in rural communities. These efforts help fulfill the promise of the Land Rights Law for more than 2.3 million Liberians living in rural areas.

Our work

Talking Books

Landesa raises awareness of the Land Rights Law in Liberia’s low-literacy areas using Amplio Talking Books, durable handheld audio devices that offer educational messaging in 13 of Liberia’s 16 local languages. Since 2020, Landesa has circulated Talking Books to more than 12,560 households across six Liberian counties, reaching 71,700 people in typically underserved and low-literacy rural communities. Each month, an identified community receives 600 Talking Books containing audio messages about the legal processes for obtaining deeds, women’s land rights, youth land rights, land dispute resolution, land governance, climate change, and more.

Community Land Formalization

Landesa guides communities through Community Land Formalization, the multi-step process required to obtain an official deed for customary land. With legal ownership of their land, communities enjoy protection from exploitative land grabs and can better manage the resources they depend on for their livelihoods. In 2024, following Landesa support, five Clans—more than 41,000 people inhabiting more than 54,000 hectares of land—received a Statutory Community Deed, securing their land and future.

Climate Change Integration

Half the remaining Upper Guinea rainforest in West Africa lies within Liberia. To protect this valuable biodiversity in the face of climate change, Landesa supports rural communities to integrate climate risks and adaptation capacities into land use plans. From 2023-2024, Landesa supported two communities to develop land use plans incorporating climate-smart agricultural practices, protecting more than 93,000 hectares of threatened biodiverse ecosystems and the homes of 15,000 people.

Gender Equality and Social Inclusion

As communities formalize their customary land, members receive formal deeds to their residential plots. Despite a clear provision in the Land Rights Law stating all Liberians regardless of gender are entitled to residential land, loose interpretations hold potential to exclude women and other groups. Landesa supports the Liberian government and civil society to train local leaders on ensuring women and other marginalized groups are included in the issuance of formal land deeds.