Sierra Leone

The adoption by the UN Committee on World Food Security of international guidelines to regulate land grabs has been pushed to next year

Three weeks ago, a team of Vietnamese investors and their technical advisers visited Sierra Leone to conduct feasibility studies with the aim of entering the agribusiness sector in the country.

Agriterra revealed plans for further land expansion even after raising its cattle operations to about 16,700 hectares and entering the cocoa market through the acquisition of a Sierra Leone trader.

The growing number of complaints from local communities, civil society organizations and the media about the activities of foreign investors in the country has got the government to unveil an investment monitoring unit

Report by HighQuest Partners for the OECD, October 2011, features 6 case studies of land grabbers: Agrica, CalyxAgro, Cazanae, Jantzen, NFD Agro and Quifel

Sierra Leone authorities have arrested 39 protesters in the south of the West African nation, following tensions between the local population and a unit of Socfin, owned by France's Bolloré Group

Socfin Agricultural Company is embroiled in serious land lease agreement tussle that has the tendency to ignite conflict between foreign investors and locals.

Les autorités de la Sierra Leone ont arrêté 39 manifestants dans le sud de cette nation ouest-africaine, à la suite de tensions entre la population locale et une unité de Socfin, l’investisseur international en agrobusiness.

Thirty peaceful protesters were arrested in Sahn Malen, Sierra Leone for blocking access to oil palm plantations owned by Socfin, which they accuse of grabbing their lands.

La police a arrêté des manifestants opposés à l’accord foncier de Socfin en Sierra Leone. Les parties prenantes devraient se mettre à la table des négociations.

«La terre agricole est ainsi redevenue un objet d'investissement et donc de spéculation», analyse le géographe Rodolphe De Koninck, donnant en exemple le Liberia et la Sierra Leone.

Milliardaires américains ou saoudiens, aristocrates portugais et britanniques, ex-ambassadeurs occidentaux… Derrière certains contrats signés en Afrique se cachent des personnalités du monde des affaires et, parfois, de la politique. Enquête sur ces nouveaux spéculateurs.