Improving Lands, Housing, and Country Planning: A Comparative Analysis of the SLPP’s 2018 Manifesto and Achievements
By the Sierra Leone Live Team
Welcome to our in-depth analysis of the Sierra Leone People’s Party’s (SLPP) track record over the past five years in “Improving Lands, Housing, and Country Planning”. This detailed comparison aims to evaluate how well the SLPP has managed to transform the ambitions laid out in their 2018 “New Direction” Manifesto into concrete achievements.
We are devoted to providing an objective and thorough comparison of the stated goals and actual accomplishments, illuminating the SLPP-paved path of progress.
This evaluation is structured in two sections, each presented in a separate post. You are currently reading Part 1, which is dedicated to “Lands”. Part 2, focusing on “Housing and Country Planning”, can be found in a separate post. Each post comes with 25 thought-provoking questions that Sierra Leone Live has painstakingly prepared to aid you in conducting a thorough evaluation. These questions aim to guide you, the citizens of Sierra Leone, in forming a judgment on whether the SLPP has met its 2018 manifesto commitments.
Part 1: Lands
- Land Tenure System Reform:
The Manifesto promised a reformation of the land tenure system for modern economic compatibility. The achievement document mentions the passing of the Customary Land Rights Act and the National Lands Commission Act. These two acts might show some progress towards a reformation of the land tenure system. But without specific details about these acts, it is difficult to determine the exact level of alignment with the manifesto promise.
- Implementation of the National Lands Policy 2015:
There’s no specific mention of this policy in the achievement document, so we cannot directly measure success here.
- Improvement of State Land Management:
The government recovered 40,000 state lands, establishing land banks as part of an effort to improve the management and equitable distribution of state lands. This achievement aligns well with the manifesto promise.
- Capacity Development of the Ministry of Lands and Country Planning:
The capacity for digital land administration was enhanced with personnel trained in geospatial land administration technologies. This shows a certain level of capacity development, though it’s not explicitly tied to the Ministry of Lands and Country Planning or the establishment of branches in all district headquarters towns.
- Establishment of a Lands Court:
There’s no explicit mention of this in the achievements.
- Affordable Housing Construction:
While the National Housing policy has been established, there’s no explicit mention of affordable housing construction for the underprivileged.
- Creation of Land Banks:
The achievement document states that 40,000 state lands were recovered and secured as land banks. This aligns well with the manifesto’s promise.
- Enforcement of Land Use Planning and Building Regulations:
The establishment of the National Building Code could be a step towards improved enforcement of land use planning and building regulations.
- Digitization of Land Plots, Streets, and Roads:
The introduction of a Land Cadastral Administration System and training personnel in geospatial land administration technologies suggest progress toward this goal.
- Pre-design of Undeveloped Areas with Standard Lots:
There’s no explicit mention of this in the achievements.
- Land Use Zoning System:
Again, there’s no direct mention of this in the achievements.
- Modernization and Beautification of the Western Area and the City of Freetown:
No information is provided about any initiatives toward this aim. - National Debate on Land Tenure Reform:
The passing of the Customary Land Rights Act and the National Lands Commission Act might suggest that some form of debate or discussion has occurred, but this isn’t stated explicitly.
- Improved Legal Framework for Leaseholds or Gifts of Land:
There is no specific information about this in the achievements.
- Revision of “Non-Native” Sierra Leonean Nomenclature Legislation:
Not mentioned in the achievement document.
- Structuring of the Land Policy for Investment and Legal Redress:
The establishment of the National Lands Commission could be part of structuring the Land Policy as per the manifesto, though it’s not explicitly mentioned.
- Land Availability to All Sierra Leoneans:
The recovered state lands being made available to the public through lease or grant align with this point.
The SLPP government has made progress in certain key areas outlined in the 2018 Manifesto, such as the management of state lands, digitization of land administration, and creation of land banks. However, several specific commitments, such as establishing a Lands Court and building affordable housing for the underprivileged, are not mentioned in the achievements report. Similarly, certain promises, like facilitating a national debate on land tenure reform, removing discriminatory legislation, and improving the legal framework for leaseholds or land gifts, remain unclear based on the provided documents. As with all such analyses, it’s important to note that the absence of achievement in this report does not mean that progress was not made; it may simply not have been included in this summary.
Therefore, based on the achievements report, it is unclear if goals related to housing, legal revisions, and land use planning have been fully addressed. In the future, it would be beneficial to provide more comprehensive progress reports to allow a more detailed assessment.
Thank you, fellow citizens, for taking the time to delve into this analysis. As an informed electorate, it is our duty to hold our representatives accountable for their promises and assess their performance critically. Remember, your voice and your vote matter in shaping the future of Sierra Leone.
We appreciate your interest and effort in seeking clarity and understanding of these crucial issues. Please look out for our subsequent post containing the 25 question survey. This tool will not only aid your evaluation but also provide an opportunity to make your assessment known. In this way, we can all contribute to the ongoing discourse about the direction Sierra Leone should take in the coming years.
Here’s to an empowered and informed Sierra Leone. Together, we can shape the future of our beloved nation. Thank you for your participation.
Here are the 25 Questions
https://sierraleonelive.com/land-reforms-evaluating-the-slpps-2018-manifesto-commitments-a-25-question-review/
