Publication: Women's Land Rights in Sub-Saharan Africa: Where do we Stand in Practice?
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2023-10-23
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This Brief examines the challenges in implementing laws protecting women’s land rights in Sub-Saharan Africa. While some progress has been made in enacting legal protections, remaining discriminatory legislation, weak enforcement mechanisms, and conflicting rules and norms, notably, those embedded in customary land tenure practices, continue to limit women’s rights to land in practice, perpetuating gender inequalities. The Brief draws on pilot data from the World Bank Group’s Women, Business, and the Law project to assess the frameworks in place to support the implementation of laws related to owning and controlling land. It highlights the discrepancy between legal provisions and their implementation. Detailed examples from two countries, Ethiopia, and Nigeria, that exhibit some of the largest implementation gaps in Sub-Saharan Africa, highlight the significance of proper implementation. is Brief contributes to understanding the complex nexus of land rights in Sub-Saharan Africa and outlines ways to improve implementation, so that laws can have a greater impact on protecting women’s rights to land in practice. Also, this Brief discusses the need for concerted e orts to narrow the implementation gap in fragile and conflict-affected settings where land tenure insecurity has the potential to perpetuate fragility and conflict.
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“Behr, Daniela M.; Groussard, Héloïse; Khaitina, Viktoria; Shen, Liang. 2023. Women's Land Rights in Sub-Saharan Africa: Where do we Stand in Practice?. Global Indicators Briefs; No. 23. © World Bank. http://hdl.handle.net/10986/43080 License: CC BY-NC 3.0 IGO.”
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