The RRI Technical Expert Workshop on Gender Justice, Indigenous and Rural Women’s Collective Land and Resource Rights in Africa was held in Accra, Ghana, from 20-21 July 2017, and was comprised of a diverse group of experts as well as RRI Partners and Collaborators who gathered to share their perspectives on the state of gender and tenure issues in the region.

The workshop was productive in mapping and assessing existing regional networks, developing broader alliances and expanding RRI’s network in the region. The major issues discussed were consistent with Power and Potential’s regional findings—that discriminatory inheritance laws and the lack of community-level participation are the most salient obstacles to securing women’s tenure rights. Therefore, strategies to overcome these barriers must not only address legal obstacles, but also social and cultural ones, as enduring patriarchal institutions foster environments that constrain women’s opportunities and voice, thereby contributing to their lack of economic empowerment—particularly with respect to access to land and resources. Further, this discussion made clear that rural and indigenous women’s economic empowerment should be a central focus of RRI’s work in Africa moving forward.

Download the Technical Expert Report from the workshop in English or in French.