For the first of its kind, the Liberia Land Rights Act ensures that the land rights of rural Liberians are recognized, protected, and guaranteed by law – an essential ingredient for these communities to achieve secure land rights. Under the previous land tenure system, as much as 80 percent of Liberians lived without legally recognized rights to land.
The Act includes stronger protections for women’s land rights, including provisions for women’s participation in local land management committees. The law also provides spouses with equal rights to be members of landowning communities, an important safeguard for women.