Securing Land Tenure Through Participatory Upgrading Processes: Women’s Experiences in Freedom Square, Gobabis, Namibia

In Namibia, informal settlements are usually upgraded by a participatory process that works to provide inhabitants with land tenure security through the Flexible Land Tenure Act (FLTA), followed by the provision of access to basic services. The pilot FLTA implementation case is the upgrading of Freedom Square settlement in Gobabis, which was a unique woman-led process. This research analyzes both the experiences of the women participating during the process as well as the immediate and long-term perceived impacts on their lives. The empirical data was collected through interviews and a focus group discussion with experts and key participants in the development process. Findings shed light on the unresolved socio-economic challenges that the participating women had faced including the influence of other stakeholders on their involvement and changing family dynamics throughout. The main goals of receiving land tenure and service provision were partially fulfilled. However, the long-term impact of the process on women is widely varied from how it was initially envisioned. The results show that in order for participatory land tenure processes to become inclusive a stronger gender-mainstreaming becomes necessary. It also emphasizes the alignment of goals of all stakeholders as a key factor for long term success.