Ten Years of Claiming Land Rights: Making Them a Reality

“No women, no food on the table!” 

The chant echoed through Arusha, Tanzania, where rural women from across Africa gathered from 14 to 16 October 2026 to mark ten years of the women -led Kilimanjaro Initiative. 

Behind these words lies a powerful contradiction: women help feed Africa, yet many still face structural barriers  to  accessing, owning, inheriting and controlling the land and natural resources on which their livelihoods depend  . 

This message resonates deeply with me. Growing up in Mali as the daughter of an agricultural landowner I saw how land supported the livelihoods of women around me and in neighbouring communities. Income generated from land helped pay for my education and shaped the opportunities I have today, working as a campaigner for Oxfam.  

 Standing among these women in Arusha, I was reminded of how much is at stake, not only for the women defending their rights today, but also for the generations that will follow. 

A decade of climbing, claiming and changing the conversation 

In 2016, hundreds of rural women from 22 African countries mobilized around Mount Kilimanjaro, united behind a Charter of 15 demands for their rights to access, own, use, control and inherit land and natural resources. 

Led by rural women themselves, the movement found favour among a wider network of civil society organisations across the continent, with backing from the likes of   the International Land Coalition (ILC), Oxfam, ActionAid and many others. Together, they helped turn individual struggles into a continental movement for women's land rights. 

A decade later, there is progress to celebrate. Rural Women have strengthened their collective voice, challenged discriminatory practices and influenced land governance discussions. The ten-year evaluation report, A Decade of Climbing and Claiming Rights documents the movement's achievements and the barriers that remain. 

But progress has been uneven across Africa. In Rwanda, land reforms have helped more women secure formal recognition of ownership and inheritance rights, while in Côte d’Ivoire, land registration initiatives have enabled  women to obtain documentation of their land rights. Yet these gains are far from widespread. Despite stronger legal protections, women in Kenya still face significant barriers to formal land ownership. In Senegal, only 6% of women own agricultural land, pointing to persistent inequalities in women’ s agricultural land ownership. Across the continent, discriminatory norms and practices, Insecure tenure, barriers to justice and exclusion from decisions about land and natural resources continue to hold women back. Legal recognition must be accompanied by women’s ability to exercise and defend their rights in practice. 

The next climb: Turning rights into power and opportunities 

This was a central message of the tenth-anniversary gathering, which coincided with the International Day of Rural Women on 15 October. 

In Arusha,  rural women were not simply looking back at a decade of advocacy. They were looking ahead, asking what must change to ensure that the next generation experiences more than promises. 

The gathering led to a renewed 2026 Kilimanjaro Declaration, building on the original Charter of Demands and calling on governments to move beyond commitments towards funded, measurable , and accountable implementation.. 

 Among the  demands are stronger enforcement of land laws, transparent public reporting on progress and meaningful participation by rural women in decisions affecting their lives, including a proposed minimum of 30 percent representation of rural women farmers on rural development committees. 

This is about more than being consulted. It is about ensuring that rural women have a meaningful role in shaping the policies, investments and decisions that determine their futures. 

During the closing ceremony, rural women's representatives  called on Tanzania's Minister for Community Development, Gender, Women and Special Groups, Dr. Dorothy Gwajima, to champion their demands and help bring their voices into decision-making spaces. 

It was a powerful reminder that women are demanding more than a seat at the table; they expect decisions, resources and accountability  to  change  

But securing land rights is only part of the solution. What good is owning land if women cannot exercise control over it, afford seeds, equipment, access water or climate finance, or benefit fairly from what they produce? 

Across Africa, initiatives are helping bridge this gap. In Senegal, women's farming groups are receiving support to improve their access to finance and strengthen their agricultural businesses, while in Burkina Faso, programmes are helping women gain practical skills, access equipment and bring their products to market. Such efforts show why land rights must go hand in hand with affordable finance, climate-resilient agricultural support, fair markets  and redistribution of unpaid care burdens. Together, these measures can help women translate secure land rights into sustainable livelihoods, greater economic independence and a better future for the next generation. 

This is particularly important as African countries implement the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) Kampala Strategy and Action Plan 2026–2035. 

In Oxfam's Roadmap Towards Gender Transformation in CAADP,  the light is shone further on the need to address women's limited access to financial resources, strengthen their leadership in agricultural policymaking and measure progress through gender-responsive indicators and budgets. 

These priorities reflect the demands raised in Arusha. Governments must not only commit to women's land rights but also demonstrate, through public budgets, Implementation plans, and accessible accountability mechanisms, how agricultural policies, budgets and investments are improving rural women's lives. 

The message is clear: Africa cannot achieve just, inclusive and climate resilient agricultural transformation while the women who sustain its food systems lack secure rights, resources and decision-making power. 

We climbed. We claimed. We continue. 

The first decade of the Kilimanjaro Initiative demonstrated the power of rural women’s collective action. The next must demonstrate the power of implementation and accountability. 

As Zainabu of the Africa Kilimanjaro Women Farmers' Forum reflected: 

“Ten years ago we had a vision, and we climbed the mountain. Today, we celebrate it. Tomorrow, we must build a future worthy of the vision.” 

Her words capture what comes next. The challenge is not only to secure recognition of women's land rights, but to ensure those rights bring real opportunities: the ability to cultivate land, access financing, develop skills, and build sustainable livelihoods. 

The mountain was never the destination. It was the beginning. 

The tenth anniversary was convened by the Africa Kilimanjaro Women Farmers' Forum (AKIWOFF), in collaboration with ActionAid, Oxfam and other consortium partners.