African women have little or no access to land and the means of production, a report released by Oxfam on inequality said on Monday.
A survey, conducted in 35 countries, titled “Sharing wealth with those who create it”, reveals that in Senegal, only 5% of women have exclusive ownership of their land compared to 22% for men. This rate is 11% for women against 50% for men in Burundi and 14% for women against 46% for men in Uganda.
According to Oxfam, the balance of power within families and society often limits their control over these assets.
“Widows do not enjoy the same inheritance rights as widowers, women are often harmed by men around them,” they report said.
Oxfam said governments should take action to eliminate gender gaps and protect the rights of women. It also recommends governments should create a more equal society by prioritizing women.
In this connection, the second ordinary session of the ECOWAS parliament, in December, sought solutions to this challenge, under the theme; promoting gender equality in agricultural investments on the continent.
The ECOWAS, OXFAM, and the Food & Agriculture Organization say they want to enhance policies, with special attention to the need to close the gender gap in access to land.