Project
Listening to stakeholders in an effort to strengthen Liberia’s forestry governance
Welcome sign to Lofa County, where the Salayea community forest is located.
NIRAS conducted a stakeholder analysis as participants took stock at a critical juncture in the forest partnership between Liberia and the European Union (EU).
November 10, 2025
- SDG: #13, #15, #17
- SECTORS: Development Consulting
- COUNTRIES: Liberia
- DONOR: French Development Agency (AFD)
- CONTRACT VALUE: EUR 2,000,000
- DURATION: October 2023 to December 2025 (Liberia)
Covering 68% of Liberia’s land surface, forests are valuable to the country and a cornerstone of its biodiversity and economy. However, years of turmoil and risks posed by unchecked land conversion, mining, and logging threaten to decimate the industry.
The EU’s Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) Action Plan, published in 2003, proposed measures to address the problems caused by illegal logging. One of these is the Voluntary Partnership Agreements (VPA), bilateral trade pacts signed by the EU and timber-producing countries that ensure that timber and related products exported to the EU are sourced legally.
A VPA has been implemented in Liberia since December 2013. Serving as the facilitation unit in the country, NIRAS has worked to ensure that stakeholders’ concerns are being considered amid the implementation of the agreement. It recently completed a Stakeholder Performance Analysis (SPA) to understand the dynamics and review the involvement of local participants.
“We’ve increased transparency in how benefits are disbursed to the communities. Now people can ask questions.”
Stakeholder from the report
Laying the foundations
After mapping all stakeholders relevant to the agreement in 2023, the SPA aimed to analyse their interest, awareness, and perceived influence. The report also recognised achievements, collected suggestions to improve engagement with participants, and highlighted opportunities for continued engagement.
The facilitation unit conducted 14 in-depth stakeholder interviews with contracting parties, government bodies, civil society organisations, the private sector and other supporting actors.
Overall, stakeholders observe visible progress in laying the foundation for stronger forest governance in Liberia. The report finds that awareness and interest in the VPA have increased among most stakeholders. Key achievements in the past two years include:
- Deploying and consolidating key technical tools and legality frameworks, such as the legality grid, which is essential in instituting future forest governance.
- Reopening bodies, such as the Joint Implementation Committee (JIC), that foster an inclusive national dialogue, enable feedback and expand dialogue to more actors.
- Maintaining momentum and combating institutional fatigue and uneven commitment; aligning the VPA with development goals and other governance reforms.
- Fostering mechanisms to increase transparency in tracking benefits, such as community payments.
- Giving community representatives seats in national VPA bodies, described as a major participatory, albeit symbolic, step.
Points for improvement
The report also paints an honest picture of what lies ahead. Not all stakeholders, namely civil society organisations and communities, feel that they wield meaningful influence under the agreement. Facing systemic barriers such as limited resources or unclear mandates, they are frustrated by having a limited role in shaping VPA outcomes and qualify incremental gains as symbolic.
Persistent weaknesses in Liberia also undermine what has otherwise been achieved. Even institutions face constraints, which put the effectiveness of the VPA into question; the report describes “a gap between structure and substance.” Important vulnerabilities include:
- Liberia has yet to issue a single FLEGT license since the VPA was instituted in 2013 – a reality seen as its most symbolic and strategic failure to date.
- JIC decisions are not implemented as the body lacks enforcement mechanisms. Stakeholders describe “a pattern of ‘recommendation without consequence’”.
- Engagement is fragmented, and key sectors, such as the private sector and community representatives, feel heard but not equipped to influence decisions.
- Bureaucratic and financial hurdles bottleneck operations, which undercut the credibility of sharing benefits and continuing engagement.
- Legal enforcement is weak, and there is a perceived overdependence on EU Delegation support.
“After more than ten years, we still haven’t issued a single FLEGT license. That’s the biggest failure.”
Stakeholder from the report
Case studies
The facilitation unit visited two community forests – Bassa (Masaguevah) and Salayea – to hear the voices from the intended beneficiaries.
Challenges: In Bassa, local conflicts and institutional constraints fuel mistrust and lead to poorly informed decisions; there is also an inconsistent implementation of proposed benefits. The community in Salayea faces threats from illegal mining, unregulated coal-burning activities and the lack of essential support to forest guards.
Lessons Learned:
- Community forests build sustainability and enable cohesion. Institutions should engage directly to hear community grievances, impart ownership and build legitimacy and transparency.
- Key to effective forest governance are enforcement structures, such as forest guards, institutional support, and legal clarity.
- Community forests must be better integrated into governance frameworks and must be coupled with alternative livelihood programmes.
Opportunities for the future forest partnership: The communities wanted stronger enforcement of regulations, a more inclusive and collaborative partnership that reflects all stakeholders, better implementation of social benefits, and investments in livelihood development activities and local capacity building.
Looking to the future
To maintain the momentum under the VPA, stakeholders underlined the importance of better structures, formalised roles and more inclusive and consistent engagement mechanisms. They also suggested significant reforms to monitoring systems and financial transparency, and the use of new tools in communication and engagement.
- The activity unearthed specific recommendations on what should be done to propel Liberia and the EU as they prepare for a possible transition to a broader forest partnership.
- Institutionalisation of bodies, such as the JIC, through legislation and policy; need for clear mandates and accountability mechanisms to ensure decisions are enforced.
- Empowerment of civil society and community voices by increasing their capacity on issues such as financial literacy, fostering rural participation and more effective communication.
- Improvement of funding, monitoring, and follow-up systems, and support to technical facilitation and market access mechanisms.
Without these, stakeholders warn that efforts made may not pay off, undermining ongoing efforts to strengthen the Liberian forestry sector. Looking ahead to a future forest partnership that embeds participation, accountability, and community inclusion, the report concludes: “Only through a reformed and credible platform can Liberia maintain stakeholder confidence and deliver on its commitments to sustainable forest management, climate goals, and inclusive development.”
Stakeholder Performance Analysis Report
