A pastoralist woman in Diffa, Niger. (©Arno Trümper/adelphi)
Gender inequality and human rights violations are a major challenge in the Lake Chad region. Women face particular difficulties obtaining the right to own land. Facilitating access for women to land and other productive assets should be an important element of development and peacebuilding.
The resources provided by the lake can help support women’s livelihoods. Women’s groups, for example, successfully process and market products made from spirulina, a form of nutritious algae commonly found in Lake Chad. Such activities have considerable scale-up potential.