“Promoting Women’s Access to Information and Economic Opportunities in Cameroon”

September 30, 2022

1. Background

According to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948), access to information is a fundamental right that reveals freedom of expression. Information rights in most cultural settings in Cameroon have been undermined due to gender stereotypes opinions which hinder women educational attainment, professional experiences and life opportunities. Also, asymmetry in information limits the natural talents and abilities of the female subgroup and therefore, widens the gap between the advantaged male and disadvantaged female groups. In order to bridge this gap, the Cameroonian government has formulated the National Development Strategy (NDS30), which aims to ensure gender equality and promote access to information. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), predict that promoting transparent and accountable institutions will be a way to access information and reduce inequality. With this in mind, the Nkafu Policy Institute, a think tank of the Denis and Lenora Foretia Foundation, is organizing an operational working group on the theme: “Promoting Women’s Access to Information and Economic Opportunities in Cameroon”.

2. Objective

The overall objective of this operational working group is to present policy actions that could be put in place by the Cameroonian government to mitigate the effects of women’s lack of access to information in Cameroon. Specifically, the discussion will:

• Identify the various forms of information that are inaccessible for women in Cameroon;
• Examine the systemic barriers faced by women in accessing information in Cameroon;
• Highlight the role of gender stereotypes on women’s economic opportunities in Cameroon; and
• Propose actionable policy recommendations to reduce information inaccessibility and improve economic opportunities for women in Cameroon.

3. Expected outcome

Increased awareness of the need to reduce women’s inaccessibility to information, as a means of economic development

4. Participants

This event will bring together the members of the Operational Working Group put in place by the Foretia Foundation within the framework of the WERC project.

5. Contact

Email: info@foretiafoundation.org / Tel: (+237) 22 31 15 84 / 654 86 72 54