The legal rights of women to own land in Cameroon does not necessarily translate into effective ownership and control, participants at a joint land governance meeting in Bamenda have heard, as a new survey reveals a wide gap between rights recognised in law and women’s lived experiences.
The findings were presented on Thursday 27 August 2026 during a one day meeting organised by the Community Agriculture and Environmental Protection Association (CAEPA) under its project, “advancing mbororo women’s land rights and governance influence in Cameroon.”
The survey, conducted alongside focus group discussions in Bamenda I, Bamenda II, Bamenda III and Tubah, involved 915 participants in focus group discussions and received 254 survey responses.
According to CAEPA Coordinator Fenwi Linda, while 68.4 per cent of respondents recognised that women have equal rights to own land, only 15.6 per cent reported having registered land.
The findings further showed that 89.4 per cent of respondents reported having access to land, but access did not translate into ownership. Only 13 per cent said they had land of their own, while 56.1 per cent mainly worked on family land.
The participation of women in decisions concerning land was also found to be limited, with 64.3 per cent indicating that they were not involved in decisions on issues such as selling, developing or renting out land.
CAEPA identified male dominance in land decision making, discriminatory inheritance practices, weak legal literacy, the cost of land registration and restrictive cultural norms among the main barriers.
The Coordinator said the project had responded through community awareness sessions, legal counselling, engagement with traditional land committees, public speaking and policy development training, as well as support for women seeking to address land related challenges.
She said four community gardens had also been established and 1,000 improved maize seeds distributed to women as part of efforts to strengthen livelihoods and economic independence.
The survey, she said, showed that insecure land rights have wider consequences, including weaker livelihoods, dependence and displacement.
“Land rights are not only a legal issue, but now it also be central for economic recovery and resilience,” Linda said in presenting the findings.
Government representatives at the meeting acknowledged the gap between the law and its implementation, while stressing that land legislation in Cameroon does not formally exclude women from land ownership.
Bongajum Elizabeth, 3rd Deputy Senior Divisional Officer for Mezam, said the issue should be considered in the context of the land tenure system in Cameroon, while stressing that existing legislation does not discriminate between men and women in land ownership.
She explained that the land framework in Cameroon recognises private, public and national land, with a land certificate serving as formal evidence of ownership.
The representative of the SDO commended CAEPA for creating awareness among women about their rights and urged participants to use the knowledge gained during the meeting in their communities.
She called for a land governance system in which women are included in decision making, saying the objective should be to build a fair and enforceable system that reflects the needs of communities.
Eric Ndikum Fobekom, representing the North West Regional Delegation of the Ministry of State Property and Land Tenure (MINCAF), said every Cameroonian, regardless of gender or community, has the right to own and secure land through a land certificate.
He urged participants not to stop at discussions but to translate the knowledge gained into action within their communities.
The Regional Delegate for Women’s Empowerment and the Family, Wirba Hassan, also pointed to the practical difficulties women face in securing land, particularly the financial and procedural barriers involved in obtaining land certificates.
He announced support for women, whether individually or through organised groups, who already have access to land but have not secured formal documentation for it. According to him, applications are being collected to facilitate the process.
He also encouraged women to organise themselves into cooperatives and groups, arguing that collective action could strengthen their economic position and improve their ability to use land as an asset for income generating activities.
The legal framework and the distinction between formal rights and effective access were further examined by Barrister Unusa Karimu, who told participants that equality under the law must also be reflected in the participation of women in land committees, community consultations and dispute resolution.
He called for better documentation of cases of discrimination against women, arguing that reliable evidence would strengthen advocacy for policy change.
The lawyer also addressed the specific land challenges facing Mbororo communities, noting their predominantly pastoralist livelihoods and the increasing settlement of many Mbororo communities in the North West.
He said uncertainty over the legal status of grazing land, shrinking grazing routes and water access, and the absence of a comprehensive statutory framework expressly recognising collective indigenous land rights continue to create vulnerabilities.
He, however, highlighted recent administrative reforms concerning customary land rights, including requirements for attestations from traditional authorities that can support applications for land certificates.
The Ministry of Social Affairs representative, Makane Charity, described land as a critical factor of production and stressed that indigenous communities should not be excluded from rights available to other Cameroonians.
Traditional authorities at the meeting also acknowledged the need for change.
The Lamido of Sabga, represented by Yerima Hamidu Sabga, said the community had to move beyond discussion and support women in securing land and land certificates.
A traditional committee representative from Bafokum in Tubah said customary practices could provide women access to farmland, but communities had lacked awareness that women could also secure formal land certificates for such property.
The representative of the Fon of Nkwen said the information received would be taken back to the community for examination while indicating that the Fon of Nkwen has always worked in close collaboration with the Mbororo community.
The meeting is expected to conclude with recommendations and an action plan aimed at strengthening legal awareness, facilitating access to legal support, reducing barriers to land registration, improving the participation of women in land governance and strengthening collective mechanisms among women.
For CAEPA, the challenge now is to turn the evidence gathered from communities into concrete advocacy and policy action, particularly so that the recognition of women’s land rights in law results in actual ownership, control and participation in decisions affecting land.
By Bakah Derick for Hilltopvoices Web
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