From 24 to 26 November 2026, the Women Leaders Network for Development (RFLD) will hold a high-level advocacy seminar in Conakry, Guinea, on indigenous women’s land rights and feminist leadership. The seminar is part of the SEA-T project (Society Equality Africa Transformation), carried out with the support of German Cooperation.
Why land rights
In many indigenous and rural communities, women farm the land and feed their families. Yet they rarely hold title to that land, and they are often absent from the councils and committees that decide how it is used or passed on. When land is lost, women lose both their income and their voice in the community.
Two texts give these women a clear legal basis. The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) recognises the right of indigenous peoples to the lands and resources they have traditionally owned or used. The Maputo Protocol commits African states to promote women’s access to and control over productive resources such as land. The seminar will focus on how these commitments can be applied in Guinea.
Who will take part
The seminar is planned for 35 participants: 15 indigenous women leaders, 10 civil society organisations, and 10 public officials and parliamentarians. RFLD will also engage the national human rights institution and traditional leaders, who play a central role in how land is allocated and inherited at community level.
What the seminar will do
- Make decision-makers aware of the barriers indigenous women face in accessing and inheriting land, and agree on recommendations for national authorities based on UNDRIP and the Maputo Protocol.
- Strengthen the leadership and advocacy skills of indigenous women leaders, so they can speak for their communities in land governance.
The activity is supervised by RFLD’s Regional Programmes Directorate and coordinated with RFLD’s country team in Guinea.
Programme
Day 1, 24 November: land rights, the law and lived realities. Sessions will look at inheritance and land ownership as written in the law and as women live them, and at the link between land and gender-based violence. The afternoon will be devoted to indigenous women’s knowledge in sustainable land management.
Day 2, 25 November: feminist leadership and solidarity. Participants will work on taking seats in land governance bodies and on building solidarity between indigenous women leaders, with a session on passing leadership on to young indigenous women.
Day 3, 26 November: advocacy, dialogue and influence. The final day will turn to advocacy strategies based on UNDRIP and the Maputo Protocol, and to dialogue with decision-makers and traditional leaders. It will close with work on mobilising the media for women’s land rights.
Part of a wider effort
The Conakry seminar belongs to the indigenous peoples component of the SEA-T project, which RFLD implements across francophone West Africa. The project supports women-led organisations and helps defenders bring their concerns to national and regional human rights mechanisms, including the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights. RFLD has worked with women’s organisations in Guinea for several years, including on civic space and funding for women’s rights groups.
Learn more about the RFLD and GIZ/BMZ partnership. For media enquiries, write to communications.info@rflgd.org.
This activity is carried out under the SEA-T project (Society Equality Africa Transformation), with the support of German Cooperation (Deutsche Zusammenarbeit).
