The negotiations have come to a happy end.
The contract is signed. I am leasing 236.6 acres of land in Kenema. I will  grow cocoa, and as it turns out, a few other crops to make an income in the interim.
I haven’t been idle whilst the paperwork was in progress.
The labourers have started clearing the land to grow Gliricidia, a multipurpose legume which I will use for manure:

The cocoa beans I purchased from the from the Sierra Leone Research Institute have arrived:

The Gliricidia will rejuvenate the soil and provide the necessary nutrient for the crops.
I’ve also started building a well in the plantation, so that I would not rely on the water of the village when I camp on site.

As for the cocoa nursery, it is almost complete. Pictures are coming soon!