Sappleton, Shan

The customary land ownership system entrenched in African societies means that chieftaincy continues to be powerful in decisions about land use and management of communal land. With chiefs as custodians of just under 80 percent of the land in Ghana, their responses to the government’s recent land-change initiatives (purportedly to advance development) raise several important questions about inequalities and the absence of democratic processes, particularly as the executive and judicial authority embedded in a single person allows custodians considerable powers in allocating or managing communal land. This paper draws on field research conducted in the Shae-butter-producing region of Northern Ghana to examine the impact of land-use changes on the livelihood of women Shae-butter producers in Northern Ghana, focusing on collective action responses to land custodial powers and decision-making. This paper explores how decisions around changes to communal lands threaten economic security, increase feelings of alienation, and reinforce gender inequalities in rural communities in Northern Ghana. I conclude by addressing how community members and the state should respond to better protect the interests of those whose livelihoods depend on access to communal land.