The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in Sierra Leone on Thursday, October 2, 2025, convened an inception meeting to mark the commencement of the State Peace Fund (SPF) Project, a complementary initiative to the Sierra Leone Land Administration Project.
Speaking at the meeting, Assistant FAO Representative for Programs, Wuyango Bockarie Harding, underscored the fragility challenges Sierra Leone continues to face due to unresolved land disputes, weak customary and statutory tenure systems and entrenched gender inequality. He noted that land-related conflicts account for over 60% of High Court cases, fueling insecurity nationwide.
Despite progress made through policy and legislative reforms such as the National Land Policy (2015), the Customary Land Rights Act (2022) and the National Land Commission Act (2022), Wuyango Bockarie Harding stressed that implementation capacity at both local and national levels remains limited. Women, youth and other marginalized groups, he added, are disproportionately affected in securing land rights, highlighting the urgent need for the SPF Project.
National Project Coordinator, Sahr Paul Beinya, explained that the inception meeting was convened to provide a comprehensive update on the early progress of the SPF/UTF/SIL Project: Piloting Innovative Solutions for Land Dispute Resolution in Sierra Leone. He said the session focused on reviewing implementation status, addressing emerging concerns and aligning next steps to meet World Bank requirements.
The SPF Project is being implemented by FAO in partnership with the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Country Planning (MLHCP), with financial support from the World Bank.
The inception meeting brought together representatives from MLHCP, FAO’s coordination and technical teams, the World Bank Task Force, the National Land Commission (NLC) as well as Civil Society Organizations engaged in land governance and community representation.
Key discussions revolved around:
- Progress achieved to date, including initial mobilization and stakeholder engagement.
- Capacity-building efforts and alignment of technical assistance with Government land reform priorities.
- Challenges relating to timelines and coordination mechanisms, with emphasis on accelerating delivery of outputs.
- Ensuring inclusivity in project implementation, particularly for women, youth and vulnerable groups.
- Strengthening collaboration between FAO, MLHCP, NLC, CSOs and the World Bank Task Force to ensure sustainability and impact.
The meeting concluded with stakeholders reaffirming their commitment to supporting the SPF Project as a critical step toward reducing land-related conflicts, promoting equitable access to land and consolidating peace and stability in Sierra Leone.
