Access to land in the Anglophone regions of Cameroon: Challenges and prospects

Abstract

The world over, issues of equal access and control of land have constituted a contentious and perennial problem. In Cameroon as elsewhere in Africa the subject of access to land has been an issue of major concern. Cameroon is divided into two major clusters of regions- Anglophone and Francophone. This article examines what land acquisition entails and its importance to people in the Anglophone region of Cameroon. To this end, it examines the legal modalities for access to land before, during and after the colonial regime and the impact thereof on Cameroonians in the Anglophone regions of the country. Utilising existing legislations, case laws, and policy since the dawn of the colonial era, the paper sought to examine the application to land, of the laws that have exacerbated the land crises in the country. Secondary data were collected from relevant text books, journals and internet sources. Particular emphasis was placed on an examination of the challenges associated with the unequal land acquisition patterns between men and women, rich and poor; boundary disputes between and among tribes; the land crises created by the colonial  regimes; the farmer grazer land conflicts, with particular focus on the impact of these challenges on the indigenous population, more particularly the women. The paper proposes policy recommendations to address the unequal access to land in the said regions.

Keywords: Land, women, Cameroon, Anglophone, conflict, colonial, indigenous