GOVERNANCE ON THE ROADTO PARITY

Women are increasingly present in political parties, elected positions and government service—a sign of democracy and a factor of development.

Nearly everyone named to senior local government positions in Cameroon has been a man until 18 April, that is, when a decree on sub-prefect appointments caused surprise by including half a dozen women. Six months earlier, Antoinette Zongo became the first female prefect. What’s more, during the April Senate elections several lists were rejected because they had no female candidates, which is illegal today.

Justine Diffo Tchunkam is professor of law at the University of Yaoundé II-Soa and the national coordinator of More Women in Politics, a network campaigning against marginalisation and for parity. She thinks the 30% quota of women in the Senate is a good start. According to her, women account for approximately 60% of Cameroonian voters. “They could legitimately expect specific steps likely to convert their electoral and social clout into socio-economic and cultural dividends,” she says. “Credible studies show that Cameroon’s growth rate would rise by at least two points if women, who have been underrepresented until now, were associated on an equal basis in the definition of development frameworks, programmes and projects.”

On 23 April Prime Minister Philémon Yang chaired a meeting where the whole cabinet approved the “national gender policy” project document. Marie-Thérèse Abena Ondoua, Minister for the Advancement of Women and the Family, says the recently integrated approach is “a strong requirement in the electoral code, anchored in the programme of major projects, that aims to turn the president’s repeatedly stated commitment to gender parity into reality.” In addition to calling for women’s access to education, health, information and employment, the document serves a guideline to protect their rights and boost their participation and representation in public life.

By François BAMBOU