Geological and Geophysical Exploration
Land tenure reform and household investment in West Africa: a systematic review of two decades of evidence
- Olubunmi K. Ade-Johnson Department of Sociology, University of Lagos ORCID 0000-0002-9931-4426 Search for this author on: Google Scholar
Article Number - 84A7D131E287 Vol.8(1), pp. 22-41 , May 2026 https://doi.org/10.71234/jsspa.2026.0801.02
Received: 03 December 2025 Accepted: 02 April 2026 Published: 02 May 2026
Copyright © 2026 The Author(s). All rights reserved by the authors.
This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0.
Abstract
We screened 1,214 records and synthesised 63 studies published between 2004 and 2025 examining whether formalising land rights changes household investment behaviour in West Africa. Effects on fixed investment were positive but modest and highly conditional on whether the reform was recognised by customary authorities rather than only by the state registry. Where the two systems disagreed, measured investment fell. Evidence on credit access was weak.
Keywords: Land tenure, Property rights, Systematic review, West Africa, Household investment
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Department of Sociology, University of Lagos
ORCID 0000-0002-9931-4426
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Since publication on 02 May 2026.
How to Cite this Article
Ade-Johnson, O. K. (2026). Land tenure reform and household investment in West Africa: a systematic review of two decades of evidence. Geological and Geophysical Exploration, 8(1), 22-41. https://doi.org/10.71234/jsspa.2026.0801.02
Ade-Johnson, Olubunmi K.. "Land tenure reform and household investment in West Africa: a systematic review of two decades of evidence." Geological and Geophysical Exploration, vol. 8, no. 1, 2026, pp. 22-41. https://doi.org/10.71234/jsspa.2026.0801.02.
Olubunmi K. Ade-Johnson. "Land tenure reform and household investment in West Africa: a systematic review of two decades of evidence." Geological and Geophysical Exploration 8, no. 1 (2026): 22-41. https://doi.org/10.71234/jsspa.2026.0801.02.