Ivanka Trump backs women's land rights on Africa trip

18 countries still have laws that allow husbands to legally prevent their wives from working, says US first daughter

ETHIOPIA: Ivanka Trump said she would campaign for women's right to own and inherit land in Africa as she visited Ethiopia on Monday to promote a $50 million US development project. US President Donald Trump's daughter, who works as his adviser, told reporters at the headquarters of the UN Economic Commission for Africa that women made up just 15 per cent of land owners on the continent.

"Eighteen countries in the world still have laws that allow husbands to legally prevent their wives from working. Half of these countries are in Africa. We can and we must address these barriers to women's equality and countries' prosperity," she added. She did not spell out how she would tackle the problems.

But she was promoting the Women's Global Development and Prosperity initiative, which officials have said aims to economically empower 50 million women by 2025. Ivanka Trump met Ethiopia's Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and was due to wrap up her four-day African trip with a visit to Ivory Coast.