Sierra Leoneans losing out on land aquisition deals
Originally published by The BBC World Service
9 June, 2011
Farmers in Sierra Leone are being driven off their land by foreign investors in exchange for a pittance.
A new investigative report by US-based think tank, the Oakland Institute, says investment funds are finding attractive returns on farmland in Africa because in many cases it can be bought cheaply due to poor property and land ownership rights.
Many African governments are waiving tax obligations and providing incentives to the companies at the expense of local subsistence farmers.
One of the countries named in the report is Sierra Leone.
Farmers there are being driven off their land in exchange for a pittance.
Our reporter Umaru Fofana visited one of the areas where the local farmers have been affected.