Analysis of Gendered Power Relations in Land Administration Reform in Delta State

Land administration reform in Nigeria has significant gender implications, as women's exclusion from formal land titling perpetuates economic vulnerability and limits their collateral access for credit. This study analyses gendered power relations in land administration reform processes in Delta State, focusing on the State Land Use Charge reform and community land registration programmes in Warri, Agbor, and Asaba. A political ecology framework was applied in a qualitative design, employing 40 semi-structured interviews with women landholders, land administration officials, traditional rulers, and gender advocates. Document analysis of land reform policy instruments supplemented primary data. Thematic analysis was applied. Findings reveal that Delta State's land reform processes have incorporated gender-neutral language without interrogating the patriarchal customary structures that prevent women's practical access to registered title. Community land registration exercises replicate existing male dominance in listing household heads. Women who hold informal customary land entitlements report those entitlements as unrecognised in formal registration processes. Traditional rulers wield veto-equivalent influence over community land records, maintaining male-centred allocations. Recommendations include mandatory gender impact assessments of land reform instruments, joint titling requirements for spousal property, and women-inclusive community land registration committees. Keywords: land administration, gender, Delta State, power relations, land reform