TrustAfrica has launched a media campaign aimed at advocating for increased women’s land rights and ensuring a 30 percent representation of women in community land committees in Sierra Leone. This campaign is part of the RECLAIM Sustainability! programme which is implemented in West Africa by TrustAfrica and Solidaridad West Africa. It is a five-year initiative (2021-2025) covering Sierra Leone, Ghana, and Cote D’ivoire and aims at promoting inclusive and sustainable land rights and empowering women, youth, farmers, cooperatives, and Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) in decision-making processes related to natural resource use, fair value distribution, and decent work. The programme is funded by the Dutch Ministry of foreign affairs.
TrustAfrica’s West Africa RS! Program lead, Rachel Gyabaah, highlighted the significant contributions of women to agriculture and food production in Sierra Leone. Despite being the largest group of agricultural laborers, most women in the country only have access to small plots of land for household gardening and rarely own or control land. Gyabaah stressed that securing women’s land rights is crucial for ensuring non-discrimination, equality, and improved economic status, as well as enabling women to escape potentially harmful situations. Additionally, she emphasized that women’s economic empowerment is vital for the overall development of communities and the country.
TrustAfrica is collaborating with SEND Sierra Leone and Women in the Media to raise awareness about the Customary Land Act, Land Act, and Women Empowerment Act through this campaign. The RS! Program aims to support women, stakeholders, and the broader community by raising awareness about the new legislation and promoting women’s land rights. Notably, the Sierra Leonean parliament passed the National Land Act and the Customary Land Act in 2022, and in 2023, the Gender Empowerment Act was enacted. These acts provide provisions for land management, administration, and gender equality in land ownership and use.
TrustAfrica’s long-term goal is to achieve a minimum of 30 percent women’s representation in community land committees by 2024. To accomplish this, the media campaign will include radio discussions, jingles, and social media initiatives. In addition, multi-stakeholder dialogues, community sensitization programs, and capacity building workshops are planned to address the deep systemic gender disparities in land issues and empower women to take up leadership roles in land committees.