By By: The People News
Monrovia, Liberia – The Law Reform Commission has convened a peer review dialogue to overhaul the 1960 Act that established the National Housing Authority, arguing the decades-old law “has outlived its relevance” amid Liberia’s growing housing challenges.
Dialogue Targets Obsolete NHA Act
Stakeholders gathered Tuesday, May 5, at the LRC offices in Mamba Point for a one-day peer review of the Draft National Housing Authority Bill. The session marks a key step in the Commission’s mandate to audit and reform obsolete laws, according to LRC Executive Director Cllr. Bornor M. Varmah.
“Today, we convene to critically look at the 1960 Act establishing the National Housing Authority, NHA, which we believe has outlived its relevance,” Varmah said Wednesday while addressing participants.
The dialogue drew representatives from the Ministry of Justice, Liberia Land Authority, Ministry of Public Works, Environmental Protection Agency, Liberia National Bar Association, and senior management of the NRC and NHA, including NHA Deputy Managing Director and the Assistant Minister of Justice for Qualification.
Housing Linked to Welfare and Economic Growth
Varmah stressed the NHA’s dual role in social welfare and economic development, noting that reforming the law is central to making the institution “vibrant and productive.”
“The National Housing Authority plays a significant role in shaping both the welfare of citizens and the broader economy of Liberia,” he said. “Access to affordable housing is something that is critical to the improvement of our economy… This helps to reduce homelessness and overcrowdedness, improving living standards.”
He added that a viable NHA would curb informal settlements, boost public health, create jobs, and contribute to GDP. “By improving housing access, it directly enhances citizens’ welfare, and this will have a multiplier effect on the economy of the country,” Varmah stated.
LRC: “Laws Must Make Institutions Vibrant”
Framing the reform as both legal and economic, the LRC chairperson tied legislative updates to investment promotion. “This can only be done with the laws, the laws that make that institution to become vibrant and productive,” he said. “All of this has what we call economic relevance, job creation, contribution to the GDP of our country.”
Varmah described Tuesday’s session as an initial consultation ahead of a broader validation meeting. “This is just a small group of people that we have invited today to discuss this subject matter, and this will form a bigger meeting which will tend to validate this entire reform process,” he said.
Background: Mandates of LRC and NHA
The Law Reform Commission was established by an Act of the Legislature in 2011 to review, modernize, and codify Liberian laws. Its functions include legal advice, bill drafting, treaty review, and public consultations to ensure laws are fair and accessible.
The National Housing Authority was created on April 7, 1960 to provide low-income housing and improve living conditions. The civil war severely impacted housing infrastructure, heightening the agency’s role in urban renewal.
The LRC says it remains ready to work with all stakeholders, including the NHA, “to ensure that that entity or government established in 1960 is made vibrant, productive, and contemporary.”
