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By Darius Spearman (africanelements)
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KEY TAKEAWAYS |
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Land disputes in Sierra Leone are driven by weak governance and urbanization. |
Women face significant barriers to land ownership due to patriarchal norms. |
Economic marginalization prevents women from accessing land and resources. |
Lack of legal awareness and access to justice hampers women’s rights. |
Intimidation and violence are commonly used against women fighting for their land rights. |
Multi-faceted approaches are essential for improving women’s access to land. |
Land Disputes in Sierra Leone: A Web of Injustice
In Sierra Leone, land disputes result from colonialism, patriarchy, and economic exploitation. Weak land systems, rapid urban growth, increasing populations, and entrenched corruption contribute to these conflicts. Together, these factors create a tense social environment ready to explode at any moment.
In Grafton, near Freetown, land fraud is rampant. Dishonest “developers” exploit legal loopholes to take property from rightful owners. They often target those who are most vulnerable. This theft is not just about land—it’s also about power, control, and maintaining inequality.
The issues behind these disputes are deep-rooted. Colonial history left conflicting land ownership systems. Customary laws conflict with modern legal structures, creating confusion. When corruption and weak governance are added to this, widespread land conflicts emerge.
Colonialism’s Enduring Impact on Land Ownership
To fully grasp the current land disputes, we must understand the legacy of colonialism in Sierra Leone. Colonialism, in this context, refers to the period when the British controlled the region, reshaping land ownership and distribution. The British established the Colony of Sierra Leone in 1792. Initially, they aimed for fair resource distribution, including land. However, policies shifted over time. Later, settlers were allowed to claim land more freely, increasing inequality (Land Distribution and Inequality in a Black Settler Colony: The Case of Sierra Leone, 1792–1831).
The colonial era introduced new legal and administrative systems that often clashed with traditional practices. These conflicting systems have left a lasting impact on land rights and disputes. Moreover, colonial involvement in trade, including the slave trade, attracted European powers that influenced local land use and ownership structures (Land Distribution and Inequality in a Black Settler Colony: The Case of Sierra Leone, 1792–1831).
The Grip of Patriarchy on Land Rights
Patriarchy, a system where men hold primary power, deeply affects land rights in Sierra Leone. In this societal structure, lineage and inheritance favor men, leaving women dependent on male relatives for access to land. These patriarchal traditions create divisions where women are often excluded from owning or inheriting land (Examining Gender Inequality in Post-Conflict Peacebuilding).
Understanding Patriarchy

Patriarchy: A societal system where men hold power and women are largely excluded. In Sierra Leone, this affects land ownership, inheritance, and women’s rights. Recognizing patriarchy is crucial to addressing gender inequalities in land rights.
Despite legal changes, like the Customary Land Rights Act of 2022, patriarchal power dynamics persist. Women still face instability in land ownership because their rights are often tied to male relatives. This dependence limits their ability to own or control land independently (Examining Gender Inequality in Post-Conflict Peacebuilding).
Land Tenure Systems: Navigating Customary and Modern Laws
Land tenure systems are the rules that govern land use and ownership. In Sierra Leone, land is classified into state, private, and communal land. Private land in the Western Area is held with freehold rights. Communal land, however, falls under customary tenure managed by local chiefs (Sierra Leone – LandLinks).
What Is Customary Law?

Customary Law: Traditional rules and practices that govern community life. It includes land ownership and inheritance. In Sierra Leone, customary law often conflicts with modern legal systems, leading to confusion and disputes over land rights.
Customary land tenure involves the community holding land collectively. The current generation manages it on behalf of ancestors, living members, and future generations. Modern systems, like private land ownership, offer exclusive rights to use and transfer land. This contrast between customary and modern systems creates tension and confusion (Sierra Leone – LandLinks).
Economic Marginalization and Barriers to Justice
Economic marginalization means excluding certain groups from economic opportunities. Women in Sierra Leone often face this exclusion, limiting their access to land and resources. Without formal jobs or collateral, women struggle to obtain financing to buy land or invest in it. This economic dependence keeps them subservient and hinders their ability to assert land rights (Examining Gender Inequality in Post-Conflict Peacebuilding).
Women’s Land Rights and Economic Outcomes
Global Land Ownership
Less than one in five landholders worldwide are women, despite comprising nearly half of the world’s agricultural workforce and producing up to 80% of food in developing countries.
Tanzania Case Study
In Tanzania, women who have been given stronger land rights are earning up to 3.8 times more income and are more likely to have individual savings.
Access to justice is also a significant barrier. Courts and legal aid offices are often far from rural areas, making them hard to reach. The high costs of legal representation and court fees create obstacles for women seeking to defend their rights. Improving access to justice involves expanding community-based services and providing legal aid, especially in rural communities (Access to Justice for All – Open Government Partnership).
Violence against women asserting their land rights is a severe issue. Women face threats, abuse, and even physical attacks when challenging the status quo. This violence aims to silence them and maintain existing power structures. Addressing this problem requires legal protections and support systems to ensure women’s safety (Access to Justice for All – Open Government Partnership).
Women’s Land Rights: Overcoming Patriarchy
Women in Sierra Leone face significant hurdles in securing land rights due to patriarchal norms. Cultural traditions and laws keep women from owning land. Even after working on the land for years, they may find they have no legal claims.
In Sierra Leone, men usually inherit land, leaving women with few rights. This unfairness is a strategy to keep male dominance in economic matters. Women challenging these norms face community backlash and violence.
Land and Agriculture in Sierra Leone
Agriculture’s Role
Agriculture employs more than 60% of the population of Sierra Leone and accounts for almost half of its gross domestic product.
New Land Legislation
In Sierra Leone, the newly enacted Customary Land Act and the Land Commission Act grant ownership rights to all citizens, including non-natives and women. They also require that land title be registered in family names, ensuring both husband and wife consent before family-owned land is disposed of.
Laws like the 2022 Customary Land Act try to help by allowing joint registration for married couples. However, these laws are only small steps toward real change from the long history of male control over land.
Economic Marginalization: Invisible Limits for Women
In Sierra Leone, women’s lack of economic power creates a cycle that prevents them from owning land. Without jobs or collateral, women struggle to get funds to buy land. This financial struggle is not accidental but keeps women dependent and subservient.
Women’s Land Rights and Economic Outcomes
Global Land Ownership
Less than one in five landholders worldwide are women, despite comprising nearly half of the world’s agricultural workforce and producing up to 80% of food in developing countries.
Tanzania Case Study
In Tanzania, women who have been given stronger land rights are earning up to 3.8 times more income and are more likely to have individual savings.
Economic dependency makes women vulnerable and less able to defend their land rights. Ironically, those who work the land hardest have little claim to it. They must break this economic hold to gain actual land ownership rights.
Legal Awareness: A System Stack
The justice system in Sierra Leone often works against women, even if they know their rights. Courts and aid offices are far from rural areas, making them hard to reach and costly. High legal fees prevent many women from pursuing land claims.
This lack of access isn’t merely inconvenient—it keeps marginalized groups from gaining power. Making the legal system inaccessible stops challenges to the status quo before they start.
Violence and Intimidation: Tools of Oppression
When all other tactics fail, oppressors use violence and intimidation to silence women who demand their land rights. Women face threats, verbal abuse, physical attacks, and property damage for standing up. Such brutality is calculated to suppress dissent and keep male dominance.
These violent acts show the lengths oppressors will go to hold power. Despite these threats, many women continue their fight for fairness.
Addressing Land Disputes: A Call for Change
Resolving land disputes in Sierra Leone requires a complete overhaul of existing systems. Secure land tenure and formalizing customary systems are essential first steps. However, more than these steps are needed.
- End patriarchal norms through education and awareness
- Empower women economically with skills training and financial access
- Revamp the legal system for true accessibility and fairness
- Boost women’s role in land-use decisions
The 2023 law granting women equal land rights is promising. But, laws alone won’t shift deeply embedded societal attitudes quickly.
The Path to Land Justice
The fight for land rights in Sierra Leone is ongoing. It is a struggle against centuries of colonialism, patriarchy, and exploitation. Real change requires more than passing new laws—it needs a fundamental shift in society’s power structures and attitudes.
As progress continues, we must stay vigilant and challenge systemic racism and sexism that cause land injustices. Through steady effort and strong commitment, we can achieve equal land rights for everyone in Sierra Leone.
FAQ
Q: What are the leading causes of land disputes in Sierra Leone?
A: Land disputes in Sierra Leone arise from weak land tenure systems, urbanization, population growth, corruption, and a legacy of colonialism that created conflicting land ownership frameworks.
Q: How do these disputes affect women in Sierra Leone?
A: Women face significant challenges in claiming land rights due to patriarchal norms, with many legal frameworks and cultural customs denying them inheritance and control over land, exacerbating their economic marginalization.
Q: What recent laws have been enacted to improve women’s land rights?
A: The Customary Land Act and Land Commission Act of 2022 have been enacted to allow married couples to jointly register land ownership, aiming to address some inequalities women face.
Q: What barriers do women face in accessing justice regarding land rights?
A: Women encounter barriers such as remote locations of legal aid, high costs of legal representation, and court fees, making it difficult for them to defend their land rights.
Q: How can the issue of land disputes in Sierra Leone be addressed?
A: Addressing land disputes requires strengthening tenure security, empowering women economically, overhauling the legal system, and increasing women’s participation in land management decisions.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Darius Spearman is a professor of Black Studies at San Diego City College, where he has been teaching since 2007. He is the author of several books, including Between The Color Lines: A History of African Americans on the California Frontier Through 1890. You can visit Darius online at africanelements.org.