The District Multi-Stakeholder Platforms (DMSP) promote an inclusive, right-based decision-making process on land management at the district level in Sierra Leone, a gap that also has been identified in the context of the new National Land Commission. The aim is to utilize the platforms to which many key stakeholders at the district level belong to enable a prompt response to land-related issues, to promote the rights of landowners and to strengthen local-level tenure security, among others. Some DMSPs have been operational for over 2 years, others have only recently been established.
Why are multi-stakeholder partnerships (MSPs), or platforms such as DMSP important for implementing land governance topics and achieving sustainability goals such as the SDGs? DMSPs bring together organizations from different areas to jointly develop solutions to the challenges of land governance in their districts. The DMSP includes representatives of land, agriculture, and food security-related institutions, traditional leaders, landowners, investment entities, women’s organisations, and media. Collaborations such as multi-stakeholder partnerships thus remain an essential tool in this area, and are likely to be used even more in the future in Sierra Leone’s districts.
The workshop was organized by the FAO, Land for Life and Green Scenery Sierra Leone. Partnerships2030, represented by Dr. Minu Hemmati, technically supported, and facilitated the workshop in Sierra Leone. The partners wish to continue working together in the future. Therefore, Partnerships2030 will support the process with a wide range of publications and content with specific and target group-oriented information as well as a selection of tailor-made trainings for the further development of DMSPs on the institutional background and status of multi-stakeholder platforms.
