As we step further into 2026, the global narrative is dominated by rapid technological leaps and space exploration. Yet, across the African continent, millions of women are still anchored to the 19th and 20th centuries by laws that treat them as property, second-class citizens, or legal minors.
It is 2026. The African Union’s “Agenda 2063” is supposed to be in its second decade of realization. But how can we speak of “The Africa We Want” when a woman in Northern Nigeria can be legally beaten for “correction,” or a mother in Somalia cannot give her child her own name and nationality?
These are not “cultural nuances”, they are legislative failures. Here are the specific laws that, in 2026, have no business existing.
1. The Legalization of Domestic Violence (Nigeria)
In the northern states of Nigeria, the Penal Code (Section 55) remains a dark stain on the nation’s human rights record. This statute explicitly permits a man to use “corrective” force against his wife, provided it does not result in “grievous” bodily harm. By codifying the idea that a husband has a disciplinary role over his wife, as if she were a child or a servant, the law effectively sanctions domestic abuse. In an era of gender-based violence (GBV) awareness, Section 55 is a relic of a patriarchal ideology that should have been abolished decades ago.
What makes this even more egregious in 2026 is its direct contradiction with the Violence Against Persons Prohibition (VAPP) Act of 2015. The VAPP Act was designed to be the “gold standard” for protecting women, explicitly criminalizing the infliction of physical injury and emotional, verbal, and psychological abuse. While the VAPP Act is meant to override such archaic customs, the persistence of Section 55 in Northern jurisdictions creates a legal dissonance. In one part of the country, a man is a criminal for hitting his wife; in another, he is merely “correcting” her. In 2026, there can be no “corrective” violence. The VAPP Act must be the supreme law of the land, rendering Section 55 a dead letter.
2. The Exclusion of Marital Rape (The Gambia and Nigeria)
In 2026, the principle of bodily autonomy should be universal and unquestioned. Yet, in The Gambia, Section 3(3) of the Sexual Offences Act 2013 explicitly states that the legal definition of rape shall not apply to married couples. This provision effectively legalizes sexual violence within marriage, denying wives the fundamental right to refuse sex. Similarly, in Nigeria, Section 6 of the Criminal Code has long been interpreted to imply that a husband cannot be guilty of raping his wife, reinforcing the same harmful notion that marriage nullifies consent.
3. The Obedience Statutes (Sudan)
Sudan’s Muslim Personal Status Act of 1991 continues to hold women in a state of legal servitude. Articles 91 and 92 mandate that a wife must “obey” her husband. If she is deemed “disobedient”—a term that can include working outside the home without permission or refusing to travel—she legally forfeits her right to financial maintenance. In 2026, the idea that a woman’s right to food and shelter is contingent on her “obedience” to a man is an affront to the dignity of every African woman.
4. Citizenship as a Male Privilege (Somalia)
Across the continent, nationality is the gateway to education, healthcare, and political participation. However, the Somali Citizenship Law of 1962 remains one of the most discriminatory on earth. Under this law, only a Somali father can confer nationality to his children. A Somali mother married to a non-citizen is legally unable to pass her identity to her offspring, often leaving children stateless in their own mother’s land.
Somalia’s 1962 law persists, treating women as vessels for male lineage rather than full citizens. This gendered logic is not unique to Somalia: in Nigeria, citizenship laws similarly privilege men, allowing Nigerian men—but not Nigerian women—to confer citizenship on foreign spouses, as provided under Section 26(2) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, reinforcing the idea that nationality flows through male authority rather than equal citizenship.
5. The Sentencing Gap (Nigeria)
Perhaps one of the most absurd relics of patriachy is the disparity in how the law views assault. Under Section 353 of the Nigerian Criminal Code, an “indecent assault” on a man is a felony punishable by three years in prison. However, an indecent assault against a woman is often treated as a lesser offense, with punishments capped at two years. This suggests that, in the eyes of the law, a woman’s physical and sexual integrity is worth 33% less than a man’s.
6. The 10-Year-Old Bride (Sudan and Tanzania)
Child marriage is a theft of a girl’s future. Yet, legal loopholes persist. In Sudan, the Muslim Personal Status Act (Article 40) still allows a judge to authorize the marriage of a girl as young as ten years old if it is deemed “in her interest.” In Tanzania, despite a Court ruling against child marriage, political foot-dragging has allowed the Law of Marriage Act of 1971 to remain on the books, which permits girls to marry at 15 with parental consent. By 2026, the age of 18 must be a hard line, with no exceptions and no judicial discretion.
7. Inheritance: The “Half-Share” Reality (Algeria)
In many North African nations, inheritance is still governed by strict interpretations of religious law codified into civil statutes. In Algeria, the Family Code ensures that daughters receive only half the inheritance of their brothers.
8. The Erasure of the Mother’s Consent (Nigeria)
Under Section 18 of the Nigerian Marriage Act, if a person under the age of 21 wishes to marry, they must provide written consent from the father. The law only recognizes the mother’s right to give consent if the father is dead or of “unsound mind.” In 2026, the idea that a mother has no legal standing in the life choices of her children while the father is alive is pretty much absurd.
Laws are the architecture of a society. When those laws are built on the foundations of female subordination, the entire structure is unstable. In 2026, we are no longer asking for the gradual reform of these statutes. We are demanding their immediate repeal. None of us are free unless all of us are free.
