By: Fayia Jr. Moseray
In a significant move toward transforming land administration in Sierra Leone, the Minister of Lands, Housing, and Country Planning, Dr. Turad Senessie, has officially launched a suite of cutting-edge technologies aimed at modernizing land surveying across the nation.
This major technological advancement is designed to enhance the speed, accuracy, and transparency of land and property management processes, ensuring more equitable and efficient service delivery to the general public.
The new initiative, spearheaded by the Ministry of Lands, Housing, and Country Planning (MLHCP), involves the deployment of advanced geospatial tools. These include drone-based aerial mapping, GPS-enabled digital surveying equipment, and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) for data management and spatial analysis.
Highlighting the importance of this technological shift, Minister Senessie emphasized its potential to reduce land disputes and ensure fair land allocation and urban planning.
“The introduction of these technologies will make the surveying and allocation of land for homes and businesses far more efficient and transparent,” he stated. “This is a monumental step toward resolving the long-standing issues in Sierra Leone’s land sector.”
He added that the new tools would allow for faster, more accurate data capture at a significantly lower cost compared to traditional methods.
The project, he noted, directly addresses the country’s chronic land challenges, including overlapping land claims, poor record-keeping, and limited access to reliable land information.
“Sierra Leone’s historical land problems will soon be a thing of the past,” Dr. Senessie asserted.
The Minister commended President Julius Maada Bio for his unwavering support in driving this digital transformation in land management. He also acknowledged the crucial support of international development partners, including the World Bank (WB) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), which he described as “top-notch.”
A key component of the initiative is the creation of a national digital land registry platform. This platform will enable landowners, investors, and government officials to access and verify land records online, significantly improving transparency and reducing fraudulent claims.
Minister Senessie concluded by stating that the launch marks a new era for land administration in Sierra Leone one characterized by digital innovation, greater accountability, and improved public trust.