Land ownership can provide an important source of income and economic security for women in rural Côte d’Ivoire, where agriculture supports many livelihoods. However, women have historically faced barriers to owning land independently, despite having equal legal rights to own and inherit property. Recent land registration programs are beginning to address this gap. Between 2018 and 2024, the Land Policy Improvement and Implementation Project (PAMOFOR) helped deliver more than 51,000 land certificates, with 21% of those certificates going to female landowners. Strengthening women’s land rights in Côte d’Ivoire can therefore provide greater economic security while addressing inequalities that contribute to rural poverty.

Women Still Face a Large Land Ownership Gap

Despite having legal rights to own land, women in Côte d’Ivoire remain less likely than men to own agricultural land. OECD data from its 2022 Côte d’Ivoire SIGI study show that around 5% of women own agricultural land compared with 25% of men. This gap is particularly important because agriculture provides livelihoods for many women in rural communities, yet women continue to face difficulties accessing land and other economic resources. This can restrict women’s control over an important source of income. Improving women’s land rights in Côte d’Ivoire can help narrow this gap and give women greater control over land and the economic opportunities that come with it.

Customary Practices Can Limit Women’s Land Rights

Although Ivorian law gives women rights to own and inherit land, customary practices can make exercising those rights more difficult. OECD research shows that customary inheritance practices continue to create barriers to women’s land ownership, despite reforms intended to strengthen equal property rights. Inheritance is particularly important because it is a major way people acquire land in Côte d’Ivoire. OECD data show that 50% of female landowners obtained their land through inheritance, compared with 42% of male landowners. As inheritance is an important route to land ownership, discriminatory inheritance practices can have a significant effect on whether women gain control over land. Strengthening awareness of legal rights and recognizing women’s ownership can therefore help close the gap between rights provided by law and women’s experiences in practice.

Read the full article about women's land rights in rural Côte d’Ivoire by Aniya Akram at The Borgen Project.