Women's Land Rights

Protect rural women’s land rights and they will pull Africa’s economy out of the COVID-19 pandemic

Ask any small holder farmer in Africa about their experience with the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and you are more likely to sample a story of personal economic decline than a near-death health experience with COVID-19. Movement restrictions imposed by governments to slow down the coronavirus...

Is the Security of Tenure for Women Secured in the 'Africa we Want'?

What is the position of women in Africa 57 years after the formation of the African Union? How would the world look like if women had secure access, and control of their land, and natural resources? Would the food crisis be managed differently during emergencies, like the big one we are now living...

Valerie Mukangerero (53 yrs) walks to her pineapple farm in Rwamurema village, Eastern Rwanda, Kirehe District. Credit: Aurelie Marrier d'Unienville / Oxfam

Securing land rights for women: A critical pathway to realising gender equality in Africa

In Africa, land is an indispensable asset, yet, unnuanced, land belongs to men. This is despite women growing 70 percent of the food that feeds the continent. The World Bank estimates that just under 13 percent of African women claim sole ownership of land, compared to 36 percent of African men.