Liberia initiates major legal reforms for land, mining, and family law

The Government of Liberia is implementing a series of major legal reforms aimed at restructuring family, land, and mining laws. According to Cllr. Bornor M. Varmah, Chairman of the Law Reform Commission (LRC), the initiative includes the establishment of a National Family Court to manage domestic relations such as marriage, divorce, and guardianship. A National Family Code has already been submitted to President Joseph Nyuma Boakai for legislative review.

To address widespread community conflicts, the LRC is also drafting legislation for a specialized land court and a new national land code. Additionally, the government plans to overhaul the country’s mining and mineral sector laws, which have not been updated since 2000. The new framework will expand regulation beyond gold and diamonds to include emerging assets like lithium and copper. These reforms are being developed in consultation with the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) and the Ministry of Finance to support Liberia’s efforts in securing a second MCC compact.