By Amin Kef (Ranger)
The Sierra Leone Land Administration Project (SLLAP) has been declared effective by the World Bank which in other words could mean that the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Country Planning (MLHCP) is now eligible for the full financing of $41.1 million to implement the project on behalf of the Government of Sierra Leone.
It must be underscored that the project is the single and biggest World Bank/IDA investment in the land sector in Sierra Leone.
The SLLAP is on track of becoming one of the best projects in SL, achieving so far all its milestones in record time:
Milestone 1: Project Identification Mission – June 28, 2021
Milestone 2: Project Preparation Mission – October 4, 2021
Milestone 3: Project Preparatory Advance Approval – December 1, 2021
Milestone 4: Project Approval – June 3, 2022 (in seven [7] months)
Milestone 5: Project Effectiveness – October 27, 2022 (in three [3] months). So far it is one of the WB projects moved so fast and in record time.
From what this medium learnt, SLLAP will support land reforms in Sierra Leone with the objective to establish an efficient and accessible Land Administration System in Sierra Leone that provides for the:
Establishment and operationalization of a decentralized National Land Commission at all levels for effective land administration; to transitioning from registration of instruments to biometric Title Registration System to strengthen land tenure security; development of an integrated GIS-base Land Information management System (LIMS) that will reduce the turn-around time in land transactions; development of technical capacity within the Ministry, National Land Commission and the land sector at large and create more than 1,000 jobs in surveying, mapping, land administration, project management, ICT/Data management, finance, procurement, etc.
It must also be noted that the impacts of the aforementioned  reforms will be tremendous including: Enhancing tenure securities that will ultimately protect all legitimate tenure rights, especially of vulnerable groups – women, youths, PWDs, etc.; Improve direct foreign investment in the land sector, and consequently support investment in other sectors including agriculture, mining, tourism and so on, reduce boundary disputes/conflicts, and thereby promote social cohesion and peace within communities; enhance the efficiency and effectiveness in service delivery in the land sector: cadastral service, registration service, valuation, etc., significantly reduce corruption within the land sector and improve domestic revenue generation to support national development.
In light of the above, the Minister of Lands is extending gratitude to President Dr. Julius Maada Bio for the policy guidance, the World Bank, staff of the Ministry of Lands, the Ministry of Finance for the tremendous support and the people of Sierra Leone for believing in them as they work towards transforming the Land Sector.
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