CONAC, women’s empowerment ministry engage to boost anti-corruption fight.

CONAC Chairman, Rev Dr Dieudonné Massi Gams, signed for the independent anti-corruption body while the Minister of Women’s Empowerment and the Family, Prof Marie-Thérèse Abena Ondoa, did same for her ministry.
Speaking during the ceremony, the heads of the two institutions said the collaboration will go a long way in boosting anti-corruption efforts in Cameroon.
They said it will massively contribute in the country’s development drive spearheaded relentlessly by the Head of State, President Paul Biya.
Both the CONAC Chairman, Rev Dr Massi Gams, and Women’s Empowerment boss, Prof Abena Ondoa, emphasised that the deal lays decisive groundworks that will lead to more engaging and better coordinated activities in anti-corruption efforts reaching the core of the society mainly through families.
The position of women as the heart of families, the authorities said, make them major key players at the level of families notably through the education of their children and spouses hence the need to get them fully onboard in CONAC-championed anti-corruption initiatives.
“…according to figures that we have in our country today, women are more important than men and we think that we can really fight against corruption through them. Teaching a man is teaching only a person but teaching a woman is teaching the nation, Cameroon and the world in general,” CONAC boss said. 
“We express our gratitude to the minister for accepting that we work together. With them, the fight against corruption will be more effective because women’s contribution in the fight is very crucial,” he added.

Minister says fully taking up fight
Speaking in an interview after the signing ceremony, Prof Abena Ondoa described the family as the basic of the society.
She stated that the newly penned collaboration with CONAC will enable the ministry establish a strong and befitting foundation in a nationwide corruption cleanup drive involving children, parents and others. 
“We all know that the family is the basic of the society. Educating the children is going to play a very important role in the fight against corruption because the children we have today are leaders of tomorrow. We know the impact of corruption. We end up having very poor families and the children ending up not being educated,” the minister said, while expressing gratitude to CONAC and its boss for involving the ministry.

She said her institution will spearhead the drive at its level by carrying out immeasurable anti-corruption activities at the national, regional and local levels, through women’s association.  
“Not only are we going to be engaged in activities at the level of the family, we are going to make good use of the numerous women networks that we have at the central, divisional, sub divisional and even council levels,” the minister said.
“Through these associations, we are going to sensitize. It is better to prevent than to sanction. We will work hand in hand with the commission and we are going to see the results,” Prof Abena Ondoa emphasised.

Major avenues to make partnership fruitful
According to CONAC, the newly signed partnership falls in line with the commission’s responsibility of engaging both private and public institutions in the fight against corruption in Cameroon.
Per a presentation made at the signing ceremony yesterday, the institution’s Head of the Prevention and Communication Division, Irene Morikang Tche, the commission will accompany in the anti-corruption drive through multiple avenues.
The commission, per the agreement, will help the ministry in organising capacity building for members of associations dealing with women and families under the ministry.
The commission will also “provide awareness-raising materials to associations”. 
It will “propose measures likely to prevent or regulate corruption among women and families” as well as regularly inform the ministry of actions to curb corruption carried out in the sector.
The ministry will in return, per the agreement, be expected to “mainstream anti-corruption aspect in its activities” and “encourage associations involved in the empowerment of women and families in their activities” among others.
The newly signed partnership is one of several fruitful steps taken over the years by CONAC in its fight against corruption. 
The timing of the formalisation of the collaboration has been described as timely as it falls in the same week with the 2024 International Women’s Day coming up on Friday March 8.