By Etienne Mainimo Mengnjo
The government of Cameroon and Team Europe under the European Union have partner to strengthen Civil Society Organisations, CSOs and gender inclusivity in Cameroon.
The partnership was penned down on Friday September 27 in Yaounde. The Minister of the Economy, Planning and Regional Development, MINEPAT, Alamine Ousmane Mey represented the government of Cameroon while Jerome Pons, Head of Cooperation for European Union to Cameroon represented Team Europe.
The project, Strengthening Civil Society Organisations and Gender Inclusivity, PROSCIG is expected to run from 2024 to September 2028. The project is wort FCFA 14 billion (21 million Euro).
The project will be implemented by Germany through the German Development Agency, GIZ and the United Nations Population Fund, UNFPA. It is been finance jointly by the European Union and the BMZ.
Speaking after signing the agreement, Jerome Pons pointed out that the project’s focus on society but aims to support women and gender issues.
“We have a specific focus on violence against women,” he said adding that, “This program is really aimed at supporting or protecting women.”
The German Ambassador to Cameroon, H.E. Corina Fricke, stressed that it is a Team Europe project and that Germany is participating actively through GIZ, which is an active player in the realization of the project.
“The project is very important to us,” Ambassador Fricke said. “We are realizing this project here with the active engagement of the Cameroonian government.”
The German Ambassador to Cameroon, H.E Corina Fricke, stressed that the project is a Team Europe initiative and Germany is actively participating through GIZ.
“The project is very important to us,” Ambassador Fricke said. “We are realizing this project here with active engagement of the Cameroonian government.”
Besides emphasizing that the project is also important in the strengthening of women, she said, “Women are not supposed to be victims because they are important factors in the building of society.”
To Minister Ousmane Mey, the FCFA 14 billion grant is aimed at supporting one of the pillars of cooperation with Germany. “The pillar is around governance, decentralization, peace, security, and social cohesion,” the Minister said, adding that “The two regions targeted at this stage are the Northwest and Southwest Regions.”
According to Minister Ousmane Mey, “Strengthening civil society, communities, and women in the process of promoting development and inclusive promotion of development, they will be supported with these important resources in terms of capacity building organizations and implications in the process.”
PROSCIG aims to support CSOs so that they can initiate social change towards greater gender equality and economic and social participation for everyone. MINEPAT is the political partner of the project, while the implementing partners include the Ministries of Territory Administration (MINAT), Decentralisation and Local Development (MINDDEVEL), Justice (MINJUSTICE), and the Promotion of Women and the Family (MINPROFF) with their regional structures as well as local authorities.
The focus of PROSCIG will be on gender equality, social cohesion, especially between internally displaced persons and inhabitants of the host community, conflict resolution and peace, as well as the prevention of gender-based violence and support for survivors of gender-based violence.
PROSCIG will be implemented in the 10 regions of Cameroon. Among other things, 25 local organisations will be strengthened with two national advocacy initiatives. With four local advocacy initiatives, PROSCIG hopes to prioritize 25 local projects with 250 CSO participants in training.
800 people, including 300 survivors of gender-based violence, will be expected to increase their income, while there will be services to 400 survivors of gender-based violence with 10 initiatives to prevent gender-based violence.