By Emma Black
In a decisive move to protect fragile ecosystems and enforce environmental laws, the National Lands commission in Bo District has issued a STOP-WORK notice on 21 construction sites encroaching on wetlands in the city of Bo, the action comes in response to rising public outcry over unauthorized development in environmentally sensitive areas.
Speaking during a feedback session with Paramount chiefs organized by the district Multi-Stakeholders Platform (DMSP), Mohamed A.S. Koroma, lands commissioner for Bo District, said the decision was necessary to curb the ongoing illegal occupation and development of state-owned wetlands often by individuals in positions of authority who act with impunity.
The encroachment of our wetlands cannot continue unchecked, Commissioner Koroma stated. Section 42(1) of the National Lands Commission Act clearly prohibits development on wetlands, which are protected for their environmental and ecological importance. These are not just patches of idle land they are vital habitats and natural flood barriers that belong to the state.”
Commissioner Koroma emphasized that construction in wetlands not only poses a serious threat to biodiversity but also increases the risk of flooding and long-term environmental degradation. According to him, a joint inspection conducted by the Lands Commission and members of the DMSP comprising civil society organizations (CSOs), local councils, and other government agencies identified 21 sites illegally occupied, 12 of which were found to be under active construction.
Such activities are not only illegal, they are dangerous, he added, we are calling on Paramount Chiefs and community stakeholders to resist the temptation to authorize land transactions without proper verification, due diligence is non-negotiable.
The Commissioner further warned that punitive action would be taken against any individual regardless of status found violating land use regulations, stressing those wetlands must be preserved for future generations.
The feedback session, attended by traditional leaders and district stakeholders, also served as an opportunity to update chiefs on the progress of forming Chiefdom and Village Area Land Committees, in line with the provisions of Sierra Leone’s new land governance framework.
Sheku Kanneh, Bo District Lead and Focal Point for the District Multi-Stakeholders Platform Secretariat, explained that the session was critical for tracking the decentralization of land administration under the National Lands Commission Act and the Customary Land Rights Act.
These new laws are transformative, Kanneh said, they aim to decentralize land governance, ensure equitable access, promote gender equality, secure tenure rights, and safeguard ecologically vulnerable areas. But their success depends on effective local oversight.”
He added that the formation of District Land Commissions, Chiefdom Land Committees, and Village Area Land Committees was ongoing, and the meeting helped assess whether these bodies were being properly established and documented in accordance with legal guidelines.
Participants also discussed challenges encountered during implementation, including gaps in documentation, lack of awareness among chiefs and landowners, and the continued exploitation of gray areas in the system, this process is not just about compliance, Kanneh concluded. It’s about transforming how land is managed and protected in Sierra Leone.
The halting of illegal construction in Bo’s wetlands sends a strong message about the government’s commitment to environmental stewardship and responsible land governance, as Sierra Leone modernizes its land management systems, communities are being called to act as frontline defenders of their environment ensuring that development is not only legal but sustainable.
Copy right –Printed in the Expo Times News on Friday, June 13TH, 2025 (ExpoTimes News – Expo Media Group (expomediasl.com)
