What strategy can lead to greater female representation in traditional chieftaincies? AFFADA is spearheading a push to revise the regulations dating back to 1977.

What strategy can lead to greater female representation in traditional chieftaincies? AFFADA is spearheading a push to revise the regulations dating back to 1977.

Three years after the 2024 national gathering of traditional chiefs—which produced a memorandum calling for women’s inclusion—the AFFADA hosted a strategic working lunch on June 25 at the Djeuga Palace in Yaoundé. Attendees included traditional leaders, representatives from MINAT and MINPROFF, a Member of Parliament, a Senator, and the AFFADA coordination team. The objective was to finalize a draft circular aimed at revising Article 6 of the 1977 decree to ensure the effective inclusion of women within chieftaincies. This initiative builds on tangible results already observed in the Far North region and seeks to drive normative change on a national scale.

AFFADA organized a strategic consultation lunch bringing together traditional and administrative authorities to address a key issue of governance and equality: the revision of Article 6.

Drawing on positive outcomes documented in the Greater North regions—where pilot projects demonstrated the contributions women make to social cohesion, conflict mediation, and local development—AFFADA has chosen to build momentum for this cause. “The goal was to move from a statement of intent to an actionable policy proposal,” stated the AFFADA coordination team.

This strategic consultation, which lasted approximately three hours, brought together a representative panel of stakeholders: traditional chiefs, the Lamido Sénator of Njohon, a Sultan and Senator, the Senator for Nganha, representatives from the Ministry of Territorial Administration and the Ministry of Women’s Empowerment and the Family, technical experts, the SCP-PpLM coordination team, and members of the AFFADA. The sole agenda item was the revision and finalization of a draft circular letter intended for submission to the Minister of Territorial Administration for review and signature. This letter aims to propose specific amendments to Decree No. 77/245 of July 15, 1977, regarding the organization of traditional chieftaincies in Cameroon, in order to remove the legal and customary barriers limiting women’s access to chieftaincy roles.

At the conclusion of the discussions, several key recommendations were formulated. These define the next steps in the institutional advocacy process, with the aim of bringing the text to the attention of the competent authorities empowered to review and, if appropriate, formally adopt it.

Participants notably emphasized the need to ground the reform in local sociological realities, secure the buy-in of traditional leaders, and align the proposal with Cameroon’s international commitments regarding gender equality.

For AFFADA and its partners, the inclusion of women in traditional chieftaincies is not merely a symbolic gesture; it serves as a driver for local governance that is more representative, resilient, and effective. This initiative also aims to mobilize the resources and institutional backing required for a sustainable reform that complies with the standards of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) and the African Union’s Agenda 2063.

Christelle Otto