Ethiopia follows a federal state administrative structure. Regional states are organized on ethnic basis. The country has over 85 ethnic groups and languages, but only majority ethnic groups, with few exceptions, have their own standalone regional states.The Constitution of the country categorizes land as a public property and gives land administration responsibilities to regional states. Although the Constitution confirms land access right to all citizens, regional states’ constitutions and land laws put restrictions to prioritize residents.

Insecurity over land ownership in Rwanda was a critical part of the tension between communities. Addressing insecurity around land has consequently been one of the foremost priorities of the post-conflict reforms initiated in Rwanda following the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda. Rwanda set out to address the issue of land ownership and land-related challenges through passage of several laws and policies.

Land in Ethiopia is held by the state and the people; while landholders guaranteed a lifetime ‘holding’ right (any right except sell and mortgage per se). Women have equal rights to men in the formal legal system, despite, in pastoral areas, women’s land rights are highly influenced by religious and customary systems: rights are meaningless unless they are socially recognized and effectively enforced. Studies on women’s land rights comparing between formal and customary land laws are rare.