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The report examines the different institutions by which access to land and other resources are regulated and the interaction and areas of overlap between customary and state land management systems. The inefficiencies, inequities and weaknesses of the government land management machinery are exposed, while customary systems are shown to be resilient and responsive to change. However the authors show that the mechanisms for customary management are under increasing pressure, particularly in areas of high population growth and rapid urbanisation. The report stresses the negative consequences of present policies for the rural poor and the landless who often lose out in the emerging land market. The need to implement new and more equitable land access arrangements, as provided for within the framework of the new National Land Policy, is an urgent challenge.This paper forms part of a broader programme of research work undertaken jointly by the UK and French governments on Land Tenure and Resource Access in West Africa.