Liberia: Property Rights and Artisanal Diamond Development

Project Countries: Liberia
Thematic Issues: Economic Growth, Conflict, Customary and Community Tenure
Project Duration: 2010 to 2012
Approximate Funding: $2,600,000

Property Rights and Artisanal Diamond Development (PRADD) contributed to the improvement of artisanal diamond miner and community livelihoods by piloting methods to achieve secure rights to land and resources. The project worked closely with the Governments of Liberia and strengthened compliance with the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme, a mechanism to trace conflict diamonds from the…Read More

Property Rights and Artisanal Diamond Development (PRADD) contributed to the improvement of artisanal diamond miner and community livelihoods by piloting methods to achieve secure rights to land and resources. The project worked closely with the Governments of Liberia and strengthened compliance with the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme, a mechanism to trace conflict diamonds from the point of origin to processing.

Objectives

  • Clarify and formalize rights to land and natural resources;
  • Improve monitoring the production and sale of diamonds;
  • Increase the benefits accruing to mining communities;
  • Strengthen capacity to mitigate environmental damage; and,
  • Improve stakeholders’ access to crucial information.

Outcomes

  • Geo-referenced over 500 claims in Lofa Bridge and Weasua areas and used GPS coordinates to create an artisanal mining cadastre for the government.
  • Recommended 20 changes to policies, laws, regulations and procedures to secure tenure rights, improve the licensing system, increase the amount of diamonds entering the formal chain of custody, increase benefits for miners, and promote environmental rehabilitation. All of these recommendations have been accepted by the Government of Liberia.
  • Provided training to 108 participants in conflict resolution and 507 miners in production and sales record-keeping.

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