Celebrated in 2023 under the theme “Unleashing the Power of Gender Equality: Amplifying the Voices of Women and Girls to Seize the Infinite Opportunities of Our World”, World Population Day was an opportunity to take stock of the efforts made to reduce gender inequalities. The city of Nkongsamba, in the department of Moungo, hosted the culmination of several weeks of activities on July 11, 2023, during which the INS made its presence felt.
Representing 49.7% of the world’s population, women are often ignored in discussions on demography and their rights are almost often violated in the implementation of population-related policies. This pervasive injustice deprives women and girls of schooling, a place in the world of work and decision-making positions; it limits their agency and their ability to make decisions about health, sexuality and reproduction; and it increases their vulnerability to violence, harmful practices and preventable maternal deaths. Yet, the creativity, ingenuity, resources and power of women and girls are fundamental to addressing the diverse challenges that threaten our future: demographic shifts, climate change and conflict. World Population Day is an opportunity to highlight the need to advance gender equality in order to realize the dreams of the 8 billion people who inhabit the globe.
Aware of this problem, the Government of Cameroon is sparing no effort to ensure that women’s voices are heard in all spheres of society. The synthesis of these policy efforts to promote gender equality was presented in a brochure and leaflet produced by the National Statistical Institution and distributed free of charge during the World Day of Statistics, on July 11 in Nkongsamba. We can discover that in terms of women’s empowerment, the future is reassuring in Cameroon, as 66% of women against 84% of men say they have worked in the last 12 months. In terms of land ownership, the situation is not very good in general. However, women are still lagging behind, with a proportion of land ownership of around 11% compared to 28% for men. When it comes to decision-making, 47% of women have the final say in the top three decisions, but only 35% of them make decisions about their sexual relationships. In his speech on the occasion, the Minister Delegate to MINEPAT, in charge of Planning, Mr. Paul Tasong, said that the promotion of gender equality is a long-term task, but Cameroon can congratulate itself on being on the right track.
Several socio-educational and sports activities were organized for the benefit of the young people of Moungo, the best of whom received awards from the authorities present at the Nkongsamba festival square. The INS organized a quiz alongside MINEPAT on the theme of the day to assess candidates’ knowledge of gender equality issues and raise their awareness for the integration of the gender approach into their daily lives. The Director General of the INS, present at this ceremony surrounded by his close collaborators, awarded the prize to the best candidate of the plastic art competition. As is tradition in such circumstances, donations of agricultural equipment were given to several associations and groups of community initiatives. The visit to the exhibition stands closed this day of celebration. By welcoming Mr. Tasong to its stand, the INS presented to its host the range of its recent publications, not without offering him and his suite an important documentation rich in quality statistical data.