By Davida Spaine-Solomon
Freetown, 14th September 2026- The Lawyers’ Society of Sierra Leone has challenged the Lands Minister’s assertion that individuals do not legally own land in Sierra Leone, saying existing law expressly gives individuals the right to own and transfer land.
The Society said the recent comments by Minister of Lands, Housing and Country Planning, Dr Turad Senesie, that land in Freetown and the provinces belongs to the Government do not represent the position of Sierra Leonean law.
In a statement published on its Facebook page, the Society cited the Conveyancing Act 1881, saying the law gives individuals the legal right to own land absolutely and to transfer title through contract.
It further noted that this right has been recognised and affirmed by the courts of Sierra Leone, including the Supreme Court.
The Society said it issued the clarification after seeing what it described as a “misleading video” by the Lands Minister on the law, stressing that its intervention was intended to ensure that members of the public are “accurately informed and guided.”
The Society’s position follows remarks made by Minister Senesie at the Government Weekly Press Conference on September 8, where he said, “By law, there is no land owner in Sierra Leone.”
Senesie argued that most people who claim land ownership rely on conveyances, which he said demonstrate that a transaction took place but do not, in themselves, constitute formal legal title.
He also said Sierra Leone has never had a comprehensive system of land title registration and the issuance of title certificates since independence.
The Minister announced that Cabinet has approved draft legislation aimed at establishing a formal land registration system, with the proposed Bill expected to go before Parliament.
But the Lawyers’ Society’s position is not the only legal response to the Minister’s interpretation.
Victor I. Lansana, a Barrister and Solicitor of the Superior Courts of Judicature of Sierra Leone and Vice Chairman of the Human Rights Commission of Sierra Leone, also disputed the Minister’s statement in a separate response to Radio Democracy’s report.
Lansana said the assertion that there are no landowners in Sierra Leone is “not the correct position of the law.”
He pointed to several circumstances through which title to land may be established, including adverse possession, 40 years of unhindered possession of land, a vesting deed and a deed of conveyance demonstrating a good root of title.
Lansana also cautioned that a certificate of title is not necessarily conclusive proof of ownership in every circumstance.
He said where competing claims arise, it is ultimately the courts, rather than the Ministry of Lands or a certificate considered in isolation, that determine ownership.
He further raised the possibility of a title certificate having been issued mistakenly or fraudulently, arguing that such cases demonstrate the complexity of land ownership disputes and the role of lawyers and the courts in resolving them.
Despite challenging the Minister’s interpretation of the law, Lansana welcomed the Government’s planned reforms, describing them as a major step towards bringing greater order to land acquisition and ownership in Sierra Leone.
He said lawyers would await the publication of the proposed Bill and contribute to the legislative process.
The competing positions have placed renewed focus on the legal basis of land ownership in Sierra Leone as the Government moves to introduce a formal registration system. The debate is now likely to centre on how the proposed legislation will reconcile formal title registration with existing legal rights arising from conveyances, possession, deeds and other recognised forms of title.
