Land PoliceSign inCustomary land in Sierra Leone: what buyers and families need to know
Outside the Western Area, most land is held under customary tenure by landowning families and communities. The Customary Land Rights Act 2022 changed who may own it and the consents needed to transfer or use it.
Updated 7 November 2026 · by the Land Police team
Who holds customary land
Customary land belongs to landowning families or communities, with chiefdom authorities playing a role in allocation and disputes. A buyer or lessee deals with the family, not one individual, so the family's agreement must be clear and recorded.
What the Customary Land Rights Act 2022 changed
- Equal rights for women to own, use and inherit land, and an end to discrimination under customary law.
- Consent of the community: investors need the free, prior and informed consent of the adult women and men of the affected community.
- Protected areas: industrial uses such as mining, plantations and large housing are barred from protected and ecologically sensitive land.
- According to the Ministry of Lands, the reforms also allow Creoles (Krios) to own customary land in the provinces.
Before you buy or lease customary land
- Identify the landowning family and who has authority to act for it.
- Record the consent of the family members the law requires, women included, in writing and witnessed.
- Have a licensed surveyor map the boundary and check it against neighbouring plots.
- Have a Sierra Leone lawyer prepare and register the documents.
- Check Land Police for recorded conflicts on the parcel, and use escrow so money moves only when the transfer is complete.
Land Police certificates for customary land are approved by three reviewers, including a chiefdom approver, and are not issued while a known dispute is open.
Questions
Can women own customary land in Sierra Leone?
Yes. The Customary Land Rights Act 2022 gives women equal rights to own, use and inherit land.
Who must agree to a sale or lease of customary land?
The landowning family, with the consents the Customary Land Rights Act 2022 requires; for investments, the free, prior and informed consent of the affected community's adult women and men.
This guide is general information, not legal advice. Land law and registry practice in Sierra Leone are changing; check with the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Country Planning and a Sierra Leone lawyer before you pay for land.
More guides
- How to check who owns land in Sierra Leone
- Buying land in Sierra Leone from abroad: a safe-buying guide for the diaspora
- Land fraud in Sierra Leone: 10 warning signs and how to protect yourself