National Institute of Statistics unveils highs & lows to attaining SDGs.

According to the NIS report, obvious challenges persist which will make it difficult, if not impossible, for Cameroon to score high on many of the indices, when the time of reckoning comes in 2030.

Going by the latest household survey released by the National Institute of Statistics on May 22, it was uncovered that while notable improvements have been achieved in several key areas, significant challenges remain. 

One of the most significant advances is in access to improved, non-shared sanitation facilities, which is UN Sustainable Development Goal number 6.2.1. This recorded an increase of 7.3 percentage points between 2014 and 2022, reaching 47.7%. 

However, disparities between urban centres, recording 64.5% and rural areas 28.2%, highlighting the need for targeted efforts to expand this access.

Access to improved drinking water sources; which is SDG 6.1.1 also improved, with 81.9% and 80.6% of the population having access during the dry and rainy seasons, respectively, compared to 76.7% in 2014. Yet, urban areas, 92.5% still outperform rural areas with 69.6% in the dry season.

Financial inclusion, which is SDG 8.10.2, has seen progress, with nearly half of the adult population; 45.7% aged 15 and above holding accounts in financial institutions, using mobile money services, or possessing prepaid cards. 

This trend is particularly encouraging in rural areas, where the use of mobile money facilities offered by mobile telephone network companies has more than doubled from 9.8% in 2017 to 23.0% in 2022.

Cameroon still facing challenges

Despite these gains, NIS asserts that Cameroon still faces ongoing challenges, especially in providing affordable clean cooking energy, SDG 7.1.2 and access to electricity, SDG 7.1.1. 

Here, NIS reported that only 23.4% of the population uses clean cooking energy, with stark urban-rural disparities: 39.3% in urban areas compared to just 5.0% in rural areas. Similarly, electricity access is uneven, with 87.6% in urban areas as against 28.4% in rural areas.

Land ownership remains another critical issue, especially for women and girls. The report shows that only 1.0% of the population held property rights to agricultural land in 2022; SDG 5.a.1, with a significant gender gap - only 0.6% of these rights were held by women.

Birth registration, essential for ensuring children's fundamental rights, presents another challenge. Although 54.3% of children aged 0 to 4 have their births registered; SDG 16.9.1, the rate is lower in rural areas, 37.5% compared to urban areas, 71.1%, further revealing disturbing gaps in civil registration services nationwide.

In employment and education, the NIS report states that progress is evident but concerns also persist. The proportion of youth aged 15 to 24, who are unemployed, out of school, and not in vocational training; SDG 8.6.1, decreased slightly from 8.6% in 2014 to 7.0% in 2022. 

Child labour also declined, with 6.2% of children aged 5 to 17 working; SDG 8.7.1 in 2022, down compared to 10.8 percentage points recorded in 2014.

Despite these improvements, the experts at NIS say the government must intensify efforts to address the remaining challenges so as to ensure that the country fully meets the SDGs by 2030. 

The National Institute of Statistics stresses the need for authorities to work harder to reduce the poverty rate; SDG 1.2.1, from 37.7% to below the 30.8% target set in the National Development Strategy document, SND30.

This story was first published in The Guardian Post issue No3127 of Friday May 31, 2024