President Joseph Nyuma Boakai, Sr. has issued Executive Order No. 160, constituting a Technical Committee for the Enforcement and Implementation of the Presidential Decision on the long-standing land dispute in Nimba County, particularly in the Ganta area.
The Executive Order establishes a neutral and professional mechanism aimed at ensuring the peaceful, lawful, and coordinated implementation of the government’s decision regarding the dispute, which has persisted for decades and continues to pose challenges to peace, security, and orderly development in the region.
According to the Executive Order, the committee will be responsible for enforcing and technically implementing previous Presidential decisions, the findings of the 2010 Nimba County Presidential Committee Reports, and relevant rulings of the ECOWAS Community Court of Justice.
President Boakai emphasized that the establishment of the committee follows extensive consultations with representatives of the disputing parties and other key stakeholders, with the goal of ensuring a transparent and inclusive process that promotes lasting peace and stability in Nimba County.
The committee will be chaired by the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Liberia, with a representative of the Liberia Land Authority serving as Co-Chairperson. Additional members include representatives from the Liberia National Police, the Ministry of Public Works, the Superintendent of Nimba County, as well as members of the Nimba Council of Elders and civil society leaders.
The committee’s mandate includes conducting legal reviews, verifying land tenure documentation, undertaking cadastral surveys and geospatial mapping, facilitating stakeholder engagement, and ensuring peaceful enforcement measures where required.
Under the Executive Order, the committee will operate for an initial period of sixty (60) days, renewable upon approval by the President. All ministries, agencies, and local authorities have been directed to fully cooperate with the committee in the discharge of its mandate.
The office of the Minister of State Without Portfolio will serve as the Secretariat to the committee and will provide administrative coordination, logistical support, and transmission of reports and recommendations to the President.
President Boakai expressed his administration’s strides in strengthening the rule of law, promoting peaceful conflict resolution, and ensuring equitable land governance across Liberia.
The President called on all stakeholders and residents of Ganta and surrounding communities to support the work of the committee and cooperate with the process as the government works toward a peaceful and sustainable resolution of the dispute.
