Freetown, 6th November, 2026 – The High Court of Sierra Leone has ordered Jinshi Mining (SL) Limited to pay NLe 570,000 in outstanding crop compensation to farmers in Mokombay Village, Lower Banta Chiefdom, Moyamba District, in a landmark ruling that strengthens the rights of landowners and crop owners under the Customary Land Rights Act of 2022.
The judgment, delivered by Justice Abdul Rahman Mansaray on November 2, 2026, held that investors are legally required to compensate crop owners whose livelihoods are affected by investment activities and cannot discharge that obligation by making payments to third parties without the owners’ consent.
The case arose from a dispute between farmers in Mokombay Village and Jinshi Mining, a Chinese-owned mining company operating in Moyamba District.
The company expanded its rutile mining operations into farmland across six villages in Lower Banta Chiefdom in 2024, resulting in the destruction of crops on which many families depended for their livelihoods.
Although compensation arrangements were reportedly agreed upon, farmers from Mokombay maintained that they never received the payments owed to them. Jinshi Mining acknowledged its responsibility to compensate affected farmers but argued that it had fulfilled its obligation by paying compensation through the Paramount Chief, citing what it described as a longstanding customary practice within the chiefdom.
The affected farmers, with legal support from Namati Sierra Leone, took the matter to court seeking both the recovery of the compensation and clarification of investors’ responsibilities under the law.
In his ruling, Justice Mansaray rejected the company’s argument, emphasizing that Section 39 of the Customary Land Rights Act, 2022 clearly identifies crop owners as the beneficiaries of compensation payments.
The judge ruled that payments made to Paramount Chiefs, chiefdom authorities or other intermediaries do not satisfy the law unless those individuals have been expressly authorized by the crop owners to receive compensation on their behalf.
“Whenever Parliament legislates upon a subject, any inconsistent customary practice becomes subordinate to the statute,” Justice Mansaray stated.
The court further warned that allowing investors to fulfil their obligations through third parties could expose crop owners to delayed payments, misappropriation of funds or complete failure to receive compensation.
For many affected families, the dispute had far-reaching consequences. Victor Musa, one of the farmers affected by the mining expansion, said the failure to receive compensation had disrupted the education of many children in the community.
“Our children’s education has been at a standstill for months because we were relying on that money to pay school fees,” Musa said. “Since we haven’t received it, we’ve been unable to pay, and some of our children have been forced to drop out.”
Following the judgment, community members welcomed the ruling as a victory for justice and rural land rights.
“We are very happy with the judgment,” said landowner Morie Marju. “It was a real struggle. We were told that we were wasting our time trusting in the process, but Namati came through for us. We are happy.”
Legal observers say the ruling is one of the strongest judicial affirmations so far of the Customary Land Rights Act, reinforcing protections for rural communities affected by large-scale investments. The decision is expected to send a clear message to mining companies, agribusiness firms and other investors that compliance with compensation requirements under the law is mandatory and that payments must reach the rightful beneficiaries.
For Namati Sierra Leone, which supported the farmers throughout the legal process, the judgment highlights the importance of legal empowerment and access to justice in helping communities protect their land rights and hold investors accountable.
The ruling is also expected to strengthen transparency and accountability in investment-related compensation processes across Sierra Leone, particularly in rural communities where disputes over land and crop compensation have become increasingly common.
