(Ecofin Agency) - In Sierra Leone, NGO Action for Large Scale Land Acquisition Transparency (ALLAT), on June 27, called on the government to take land issues “seriously” in order to avoid conflicts.

“Over 80% of rural Sierra Leoneans depend on land for their livelihood. It provides succor for very many of the constituents. These people and their livelihood have been challenged at the moment because we do not have an active land policy and land law over the years. There has been a mad rush into large scale land acquisition for agriculture and mineral investment. This has created so many challenges for ordinary people whose livelihoods depend on land,” Coordinator for ALLAT, Abdulai Bun Wai said.

He also called for a concerted and inclusive brainstorming by governmental and non-governmental institutions to find adequate solutions to the looming land crisis. He added that everyone, “the fisheries and agriculture ministries, is involved”.

Souha Touré