Skip to main content

WOMEN CONTRIBUTE TO SUSTAINABLE ECONOMIC GROWTH.


Women in Cameroon have been called upon to claim their rights and break stereotypes so as to contribute in the economy growth of Cameroon.

This was amongst many recommendations made at the end of a panel discussion organised by the Denis and Loretia Foundation this November 30, 2021 in Yaounde under its project to promote Women's Economic Rights, WERC.

With theme of focus, "Advancing Women's Liberty for a Sustainable Economic Growth", three panelists identified barriers to women's economic liberty and prosperity in Cameroon and then proposed solutions to tackle these problems.

Barriers Identified

The obstacles to women's economic liberty highlighted include: limited access to education in some localities, limited access to health services, limited access to loans, constraints in justice systems and vulnerable jobs.

Recommendations


One of the Panelists, Dr Wilfred Pathe, a Lecturer on Human Rights, insisted that women grab their rights and break stereotypes. He explained that women should stop saying only a man can do this or that.

His idea was corroborated by one of the participants in the audience who explained how in most homes, when a boy goes to assist his mother in the kitchen, she tells him to leave saying the kitchen is for women.

In this regard, they both insist that women should change their mindset, adding that this usually has to start from within the family nucleus.

On her part, Barrister Nsen Abeng another panelist and National Director of CIVITAS Cameroon, proposed that male influencers be involved in women's empowerment.

She also indicated that women must challenge themselves to be better. "They should not only take complimentary cards but tap into the intelligence of those people whose cards they collected," she emphasises.

Another aspect the Barrister highlighted is mentorship. To her, women should be realistic about their mentors. They should have mentors who are reachable and not fantasize about faraway foreign mentors they may never meet.

Legal and financial literacy were also highlighted by Barrister Nsen Aben who noted that women should get informed on legal and financial issues relating to them.

In addition to these, Alemnji Hieldi Eballe, Programmes Assistant at WAA Cameroon explained that women have to be educated on their rights.

She also added that women should be interested in continuous capacity-building so as to learn new skills and be empowered.

Networking was another proposal put forth by Alemnji Hieldi. "Women should learn to work in blocks," she insists.

She also added that women should get engaged in policy-making spheres like the National Assembly where laws concerning them are discussed.

Morever she said women should be involved in activities around international days that concern women like the International Women's Day, Day to Eliminate Gender-based Violence and others.




If these and more are taken into account, then women are sure to boost the Cameroonian economy with their huge input.

This is confirmed by a World Bank statement in 2012 which indicated that productivity at work could increase if discrimination towards female staff is eradicated.
#womenempowerment
#economicliberty

By Eleanor Ayuketah Ngochi

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

LES BRASSERIES DU CAMEROUN: Poised to revamp dying North West Economy.

As the crisis persists in the Anglophone regions of Cameroon, economic sabotage has been part of the modus operandi of the Separatists. One of the companies that have suffered from such sabotage is the Brewery company, Les Brasseries Du Cameroun. However in it’s new program as announced by the company Earlier this year, it seeks to revamp it’s commercial Centre in Bamenda and the 4 Depots of Kumbo, Nkambe, Wum and Fundong. This with a workforce of 400 workers, over 200 in Bamenda and about 50 in each of the 4 Depots, with a majority of the workers hailing from the North West Region. It is calculated that, over 30 Suppliers, two of whom supply the majority of the drinks sold in the Bamenda Commercial Centre, about 3000 regular retailers and over 2000 in the informal sector will get employed. They will be able to develop their families and improve on their livelihood by educating their children, building decent homes, and investing in diverse fields,...

NORTH WEST PUBLIC INDEPENDENT CONCILIATOR

The PIC while addressing local masses in Wum Council area, Mr. Tamfu Fai, appealed to the government to create divisional representations.   In the Anglo-Saxon tradition, it is customary to set up independent authorities responsible for settling disputes between users and regional and council administration. In line with this logic, Law No.2019/24 of 24 December 2019 to institute the General Code of Regional and Local Authorities provides for an independent authority called the Public Independent Conciliator (PIC) in the North-West and South-West Regions. The office holder is by no means a legal authority or a judge, as the competences and powers entrusted to him are not of a legal nature. The PIC is responsible, inter alia, for amicably settling disputes between users and the regional and council administration, defending and protecting rights and freedoms with regard to the relationship between citizens and the region or the councils thereof, conducting any investigation on the f...

FRENCH PRESIDENT, EMMANUEL MACRON, DISAVOWS DECENTRALIZATION AS SOLUTION TO ANGLOPHONE CONFLICT; OPTS FOR REGIONALISM.

  Image an elephant walked into the room. It's definitely something you would notice. It's also something people would describe in many different ways. Some might see it as a monster or a threat, while others (like The Colbert Factor) might think it's the greatest thing ever. It would ultimately mean something different to everyone, and that would influence the way each person understood it. The visit of the French President was the elephant walking into the Cameroon room.   Emmanuel Macron and Paul Biya in Yaoundé. July 25-27 2022 Last week's visit by recently re-elected French President, Emmanuel Macron, was too substantial to ignore. To most ordinary Cameroonians, his remarks after the close to two hours high-level talks with long-serving President Paul Biya, were great. To others, (especially those in government), they were a threat to what government had given a pat on its back for a fast-track of the decentralization process with a Special Status for the North Wes...