SiLNoRF Strengthens Community Land Rights through Pilot Signing of Power of Attorney in Port Loko District

By: Communication Department (StoryLab Creative_Pro, Idrissa Jerry Kargbo

The Sierra Leone Network on the Right to Food (SiLNoRF), under the leadership of Alhaji Amadu Bunduka, Project Manager, recently conducted a series of community visits across Maconteh, Bureh, Kasseh, and Bakeh Loko chiefdoms in Port Loko District as part of the pilot implementation of the CLEEnJustice program. The activity focused on the signing of Power of Attorney arrangements with community leaders, land-owning families, women, youth representatives, and local authorities to strengthen community participation in land governance and formalize legal empowerment mechanisms. The specific communities visited included: Faidugu, Robat, Mabaine, and Kayimbo (Maconteh Chiefdom); Banthoron and Mayoisor (Bureh Chiefdom); Romeni and Komrabai (Kasseh Chiefdom); Gbonkomayemi and Kessema (Bakeh Loko Chiefdom).

The initiative is part of SiLNoRF’s broader project, “Strengthening Community Resistance against Land Grabs for Carbon Projects in Port Loko District,” funded by HEKS/EPER, which aims to equip communities with the knowledge and tools to protect their land rights amid large-scale carbon credit investments. During the engagements, community members were oriented on the legal implications, safeguards, and benefits of granting Power of Attorney, enabling SiLNoRF to act on their behalf in matters related to land documentation, negotiation, and advocacy while ensuring that communities retain ultimate ownership and decision-making authority.

While several communities have completed the signing process, not all have finalized their agreements. In some chiefdoms, new leadership has emerged, and they have requested additional time to read and understand the documents fully before committing to the signing. Additionally, most chiefdoms have expressed a strong interest in hosting follow-up meetings with SiLNoRF to engage in joint planning, ensuring that community land is adequately protected before any involvement with companies or business ventures. These requests highlight the communities’ commitment to informed decision-making and sustainable land management.
The visits also provided an opportunity to introduce CLEEnJustice layers and plans on the community paralegals, who will support documentation, legal awareness, and monitoring of land-related activities. Feedback from community consultations, as well as lessons learned during the pilot signing, will guide the scaling-up of the approach to other districts and inform national and international advocacy efforts concerning the impacts of corporate operations, especially carbon credit investments.

Through this activity, SiLNoRF continues to advance its mission of promoting inclusive land governance, legal empowerment, and accountability, while supporting sustainable livelihoods and protecting the rights of vulnerable groups, particularly women, who constitute the majority of small-scale farmers and land users in Sierra Leone. The pilot signing represents a critical step in fostering community-led land management and ensuring that development initiatives respect the rights and voices of local populations