Bridging the policy-practice divide: a systematic review of the determinants and constraints on women’s land tenure security in Sub-Saharan Africa
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Date
2026
Authors
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Journal ISSN
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Publisher
East African Nature & Science Organization (EANSO)
Abstract
Secure land tenure is a critical asset for agency, livelihoods, and resilience, yet a
persistent gender gap in land ownership undermines development and equality in
sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Despite a proliferation of gender-sensitive land
policies, the disparity between legislative intent and on-the-ground reality
remains a formidable challenge. This study employs a systematic review
methodology, following a PRISMA-inspired protocol. From an initial pool of
2,446 studies identified across major academic databases, 56 met the inclusion
criteria based on relevance, methodological rigour, and thematic focus, forming
the basis for a thematic synthesis. The review identifies a triad of influencing
factors: (1) Policy Mechanisms: including national land reforms, constitutional
guarantees, and international frameworks; (2) Implementation Bottlenecks: such
as weak enforcement, limited legal awareness, and lack of political will; and (3)
Structural Barriers: primarily patriarchal customary tenure systems,
discriminatory inheritance norms, and deeply embedded socio-cultural practices
that privilege male lineage. The analysis reveals a fundamental tension of legal
pluralism, where statutory laws coexist and often conflict with customary
systems. The principal impediment is not a lack of policy but a governance
disjuncture, a failure to align formal institutions with informal, socially
entrenched norms that govern resource allocation at the community level. This
review synthesises and advances theoretical frameworks at the intersection of
political economy and property rights, demonstrating how patriarchal bargaining
and institutional bricolage shape women’s land access within plural legal
environments. It consolidates a fragmented evidence base to provide a
comprehensive, region-wide analysis of the multi-scalar obstacles (from
household to state) to women’s land tenure security, offering a coherent evidence
map for researchers and practitioners. Transforming women's land rights in SSA
requires moving beyond technical legal reforms to address the socio-institutional
roots of exclusion. Key recommendations include: (1) implementing gender-
responsive land governance that integrates customary and statutory systems; (2)
investing in grassroots legal empowerment and awareness campaigns; (3)
strengthening accountability mechanisms for policy enforcement; and (4)
promoting systemic research on gendered outcomes of land tenure interventions.
Description
Original Article
Keywords
Land tenure security, Gender inequality, Legal pluralism, Customary tenure, Sub-Saharan Africa
Citation
https://doi.org/10.37284/ijar.9.1.4858