3.2. DEMOCRACY AND GOOD POLITICAL GOVERNANCE This APRM Governance thematic area has 9 objectives that Sierra Leone has during the reporting period been trying to address in terms of recommendations made by the APRM Country Review Report of 2012 as shown below: OBJECTIVE 1: Prevention and reduction of intra – and inter-state conflicts 3.2.1 .Land Ownership and Land Registration System Land tenure in Sierra Leone is characterised by a dual ownership structure. The Western Area, including the Freetown Peninsula, is governed by an English system of land ownership which includes fee simple conveyances, mortgages, and leases. Land in the rest of the country is held in communal ownership under customary tenure and is controlled by traditional rulers who administer it on behalf of their communities in accordance with customary principles and usage. Under the prevailing customary family laws, women have less access to land than men. Outside the Western Area, land is governed under a leasehold system. Foreigners cannot own land under either system, but can lease land for terms of up to 99 years. Officially there is complete and open access to the court system if an individual or enterprise thinks its interests is to be compromised, but judicial practice is open to political or financial influence. One of the key priority issues enshrined in the government’s Agenda for Prosperity is the effective and efficient management of the land sector. The formulation and launch of this historic National Land Policy that addresses key land tenure issues and reform process is indeed a great achievement for the government and people of Sierra Leone. The 2015 Revised National Land Policy of Sierra Leone proposes to improve upon and strengthen the existing land administration systems and laws, particularly so, by recognizing and working with the differentiated land tenure categories in the Western Area and the provinces, enhancing the capacities of relevant institutions on mobilizing sufficient national and international resources to ensure the implementation of the policy. Notwithstanding the complexity of land tenures in Sierra Leone, and the highly sensitive nature of land APRM Sierra Leone | Annual Progress Report issues, a considerably significant progress has been made in addressing the multiplicity of problems currently surrounding the land sector in the country, to include issues such as access to land and tenure rights, land use planning and regulation, and the management of special land issues, land administration structures, land laws and the constitution. The aspiration of the land policy is to move towards a clearer, more effective and just land tenure system that shall provide for social and public demands, stimulate responsible investment and form a basis for the nation’s continued development. A secure land tenure system is a critical element of consolidating the peace and recovery processes in Sierra Leone and it is fundamental to the nation’s development. The current system contributes to a number of problems that affects land tenure, administration, and utilization. The concern is, how to make the system more effective, transparent, and foremost just and fair towards all citizens. Some of the main problems related to land tenure currently prevalent in Sierra Leone are that the current land policy is trying to address are: • Inequitable access to land; • Shortage of accessible land in the Western Area; • “Squatting” on State and private lands in the Western Area due to rapid urbanization; • Insecure tenure forms and rights due to the absence of a system of registration of titles; lack of proper cadastral mapping and land information; unclear and diverging tenure forms under customary law; overlapping jurisdictions for statutory and customary law; • Weak land administration and management, i.e. inadequate capacity within the Ministry of Lands, Country Planning and the Environment to carry out its scope of responsibility and meet set objectives; • Lack of a proper cadastral and land use information database for State, private, and • Customary lands; and • Inadequate concession practices and protective mechanisms inserted to prevent “land-grabbing” in the commercial land use sector. 3.2.2. Sub-Regional Security It is revealed that Sierra Leone is one of the safest countries in West Africa. The Global Peace Index (GPI) is 23