March 2026
by Jacob Wilson
In the years following Sierra Leone’s civil war, many women, especially widows and displaced survivors, returned home only to face exclusion from land ownership and inheritance. Discriminatory customary practices and limited legal protection left them vulnerable to dispossession and economic insecurity.
This case story highlights how national legal reforms, combined with the community-level interventions of Land for Life, are helping to transform this reality. Through legal awareness, engagement with traditional authorities, and support for women’s participation in local decision-making platforms, Land for Life has played a key role in strengthening women’s access to and control over land. The story reflects both the progress achieved and the ongoing efforts required to secure women’s land rights and promote more inclusive and equitable land governance in post-conflict Sierra Leone.
After the official declaration of the end of the Civil War on 28 January 2002, the Government of Sierra Leone established the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Sierra Leone (TRC) to investigate the root causes of the eleven-year conflict and recommend measures to prevent a recurrence.
Among the many issues examined, the TRC highlighted the disproportionate impact of the war on women, particularly in relation to access to land and inheritance of property. The Commission found that discriminatory customary practices, weak legal protections, and the displacement caused by the war left many women, especially widows, vulnerable to dispossession and economic insecurity.
In response to these concerns and as part of broader post-conflict reforms, the Government enacted the landmark “Three Gender Acts” in 2007: the Devolution of Estates Act, the Domestic Violence Act, and the Registration of Customary Marriage and Divorce Act. These laws were introduced to strengthen the protection of women’s human rights and dignity, particularly within the family and domestic sphere.
The Devolution of Estates Act, in particular, marked a significant step forward in safeguarding women’s inheritance rights. It defines the rights of surviving spouses, children, parents, and other dependents to inherit property. The Act provides that the estate of a deceased person devolves according to specified statutory proportions, with priority given to the immediate family. It also outlines procedures for estate administration and addresses disputes that may arise in cases involving multiple marriages or polygamous unions. Importantly, it criminalises property grabbing and protects widows from unlawful dispossession.
In more recent years, the Government has continued to strengthen the legal framework for women’s land rights through the enactment of the Customary Land Rights Act and the Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment Act (GEWE). These laws further reinforce gender equality in land ownership, participation in land governance, and women’s socio-economic empowerment.
As an organisation advocating for women’s land rights, Land for Life has, over the years, actively engaged vulnerable women and women’s groups on practical ways to secure and protect their land rights through gender-transformative approaches.
The organisation has also encouraged women to participate in decision-making processes within the District Multi-Stakeholder Platform (DMSP). As a result of sustained advocacy, women’s participation in the DMSP has increased to 30 percent. The District Multi-stakeholder Platforms (DMSP) are decentralised-level inclusive land governance structures existing in 8 of Sierra Leone’s 14 rural districts. The groups endeavour to promote a culture of inclusive, local-level, people-centred tenure governance.
Through community sensitisation, legal awareness training, engagement with traditional authorities, and support for paralegals, the organisation has been working closely with local leaders to examine and reform traditional norms that continue to bar women from accessing, using, and inheriting land. These efforts complement national reforms and promote more inclusive and equitable land governance at the community level. “We have been able to regain our land rights simply because of the training we have received from Land for Life. Today, we can sit and negotiate with MIRO Company on our land lease rent structure. This was not possible years ago, when Land for Life was not here,” said Isatu Kamara, a 41-year-old resident of Yoni Mamaila Chiefdom, Tonkolili District.
Today, more women can access and use land for farming, small-scale businesses, and other livelihood activities. There is growing awareness within communities of women’s statutory rights, reduced incidence of property grabbing, and improved collaboration among women, traditional authorities, and local governance structures. While challenges remain, these combined legal and community-level interventions are gradually transforming gender relations in land ownership and strengthening women’s economic security and social standing.