Implementing progressive laws can accelerate securing women’s land rights in Francophone Africa
September 2021
Joy Imbuye (Land Portal blog)
Reviews some of the good practices as well as the challenges faced in advancing women’s land rights in select countries in Francophone Africa, focussing on issues related to inheritance rights for women and girls and women’s participation in land-related decision-making and governance. Essential to point out that in countries such as Senegal, where a majority of the population is Muslim, religion has a greater impact than statutory laws, so the Senegalese Family Code is very much neglected in rural areas. A similar story in Burkina Faso and Benin. Need for civil society organizations to build and broaden alliances and work closely with the national and local authorities to enhance women’s land rights in practice as well as in law.