In Côte d’Ivoire, women do not have equitable access to land, they are not considered heirs under customary inheritance laws, and only recently have been legally considered heirs to their husband’s assets under the country’s statutory law. The majority of women in rural Côte d’Ivoire work in traditional farming, and land access is fundamental to economically empowering them in their communities. Women produce 60-80% of the food in Côte d’Ivoire, but they face serious challenges to accessing the land necessary to do so in the face of expanded cash crop production by male relatives.
The Improving Land Access for Women (ILAW) Activity is a three-year, $5.25 million Task Order under the Strengthening Tenure and Resource Rights II Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity Contract. ILAW’s core goal is to increase social cohesion, reduce land conflicts, and empower women to contribute to their communities economically by strengthening their legal access to land in the Northern and Western regions of Côte d’Ivoire. Investing in women’s access to land supports Côte d’Ivoire’s private sector growth and creates economic opportunity for its people.
Overview
ILAW will partner closely with local organizations to increase the understanding and acceptance of national land and inheritance laws and accompanying women in asserting and formalizing their land and inheritance rights individually and collectively to improve women’s social and economic position, reduce land-related conflict, and increase community resilience. The Activity has two key objectives:
Objective 1 – Empower communities in Northern and Western Côte d’Ivoire through awareness raising, advocacy, and communication campaigns on land and women’s rights in Western and Northern Côte d’Ivoire.
Objective 2 – Strengthen women’s access to legal and conflict mediation services in rural and urban areas to ensure their access to land in Northern and Western Côte d’Ivoire.
Geographic Focus
The ILAW Activity is implemented in the Poro, Béré, and Tchologo regions in northern Côte d’Ivoire and the regions of Cavally, Guémon, and Tonkpi in western Côte d’Ivoire.
Map of Côte d’Ivoire and Project Implementation Sites
