10/06/2026
๐๐๐ ๐๐ฆ๐ฉ๐จ๐ฐ๐๐ซ๐ฌ ๐๐จ๐๐๐ฅ ๐๐ฎ๐ญ๐ก๐จ๐ซ๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐๐ฌ, ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐๐ง, ๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ๐ก ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ญ๐ก๐๐ซ ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ง๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ ๐๐๐ฆ๐๐๐ซ๐ฌ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ญ๐ก ๐๐๐ ๐๐ฅ ๐๐ง๐จ๐ฐ๐ฅ๐๐๐ ๐ ๐จ๐ง ๐๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ญ๐จ๐ฆ๐๐ซ๐ฒ ๐๐๐ง๐ ๐๐จ๐ฏ๐๐ซ๐ง๐๐ง๐๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐ฎ๐ฉ๐ฉ๐จ๐ซ๐ญ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ข๐ซ ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐ง๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐๐ฌ ๐ข๐ง ๐๐๐ญ๐๐ข๐ง๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐ญ๐๐ญ๐ฎ๐ญ๐จ๐ซ๐ฒ ๐๐๐๐๐ฌ ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ฆ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐ข๐๐๐ซ๐ข๐ ๐๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ญ๐ก๐จ๐ซ๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ
The Sustainable Development Institute (SDI) has concluded a weeklong legal capacity training workshop for over 70 local authorities and other community members in Fern River District, RiverCess County from June 1-9, 2026.
Participants included District and Township Commissioners, Paramount Chiefs, Clan Chiefs, Interim Coordinating Committee (ICCs) officials, Community Animators, women and youth leaders selected from six clans/communities in the District.
The clans are: Kebbeh, Banama, Vor, Garyeazon, Guanaway, among others.
The legal capacity-building training was organized in two separate editions. The first edition brought together 30 women, including clan chairladies, female youth leaders, animators, and female members of the Interim Coordinating Committees (ICCs) from the six project communities.
The training strengthened their knowledge and capacity to participate effectively in customary land governance and support their communities in obtaining statutory deeds from the Liberia Land Authority (LLA).
Participants understood their roles in the customary land formalization process, discussed traditional and cultural barriers that impede womenโs participation in natural resource and customary land management decision making processes and provide recommendation actions to address those barriers.
The training also provided an opportunity for the participating women to have an idea on the legal ramification of the land rights law, Community Rights Law, the Local Government Act and national Carbon Policy development process.
At the close of the two days, a group of women including mostly clan chairladies was recruited to join the last edition of the legal capacity building training planned for 49 participants including District and Township Commissioners, paramount Chiefs, and clan chiefs, and male youth leaders, community animators, minority group representatives.
The legal capacity training drew attention on the crafting and enactment of the Land Rights Act, Community Rights Law, the Inheritance Law and Local Government Act of 2018.
The team developed and delivered the presentations with specific attention on the legality of the customary land formalization, and building cases on the Liberia 1986 Constitution which mandates that every Liberian citizen has the rights to own property including land, part 3 of the 2018 Land Rights Act that recognizes community ownership to customary land and lay down steps and guidelines to obtain deeds from the government, the community rights Law which gave ownership of forest communities and as well provided guidelines for owning the forest, among others.
These legal instruments have established ways that recognize the roles and responsibilities for an inclusive governance and management of the natural resources at the community level.
In addition to these topics, the team also presented on the inheritance law, with focus on the elimination of harmful culture practices that deprive women and youth from playing active role in the inclusive decision making and management of customary land and natural resources.
Key officials including the district commissioner, paramount chiefs and district women leaders made special remarks during the opening and closing ceremonies of the training.
In their separate statements, they acknowledged the work SDI through Tenure Facility support has been doing in their communities which has resulted into the government of Liberia issuing a little over five (5) statutory deeds to customary lands thereby placing direct ownership and decision-making processes of the lands in the hands of the communities.
They called for additional support to extend the CLF into other communities that are under threat from mineral hungry companies and individuals are digging holes across the county in search of gold and diamonds at the disadvantage to their communities.
As part of the weeklong activities, the project conducted intensive awareness and educational sessions on the community governance process, including the collection of individual town bylaws that will be consolidated and used to develop the overall community bylaws.
