Implications of Customary Practices on Gender Discrimination in Land Ownership in Cameroon

Abstract

Africa, before European colonization, knew no other form of legal system outside customary arrangements. Based on secondary sources and a primary survey conducted between 2009 and 2010 on the situation of women and land rights in anglophone Cameroon, this paper examines the grounds for discrimination in customary laws against women's rights to land in the context of legal pluralism, and discusses the implications of this custom of gender discrimination. In drawing from Cameroon as an exemplar, it concludes that the strong influence and impact of customs on current land tenure systems have global implications on women's land rights, food security and sustainable development, and that gender equality in land matters can be possible only where the critical role of ethics is recognized in pursuit of the economic motive of land rights.

Keywords:

• Women's Rights
• Land Tenure
• Customary Practices
• Discrimination
• Development

Acknowledgements

This study was carried out under Canadian International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Grant no. 105467 to the University of Buea. The authors gratefully acknowledge the comments, suggestions and editorial assistance of Cynthia Bisman in relation to the early drafts, which have impacted positively on this paper.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Lotsmart Fonjong

Lotsmart N. Fonjong holds a PhD in Human Geography from the University of Yaounde 1, Cameroon and an MA in Development Studies from the University of Leeds in the United Kingdom. He is Associate Professor of Geography. His research interests include natural resource management, women's rights, human rights organizations, and non-governmental organizations

Irene Fokum Sama-Lang

Irene Fokum Sama-Lang received her LLM in International and Commercial Law from the University of Buckingham, UK in 1992 and is waiting to defend her PhD in Employment Security at the University of Buea, Cameroon. She is currently a lecturer in land law, amongst others, at the University of Buea, Cameroon

Lawrence Fon Fombe

Lawrence Fon Fombe is a Senior Lecturer in Urban Studies and Development Planning at the University of Buea, Cameroon. He is interested in digital cartography as an important tool in managing spatial variations and environmental problems. He received a BA and Doctorat de 3e Cycle in Geography from the University of Yaounde in 1982 and 1989, respectively. He is a holder of a PhD from the University of Buea, Cameroon (2005)