Society

Yaounde: Gov’t launches programme to register socially vulnerable persons.

Social Affairs Minister, Pauline Irène Nguéné handing over equipment

The programme to officially register socially vulnerable people and households into the Unified Social Registry of Cameroon, known by its French acronym, RESUC, has been launched.
This was in a ceremony presided over by the Minister of Social Affairs, Pauline Irène Nguene, on August 23, in Yaounde.

It was also an occasion to hand over computer equipment to 100 pilot social centres selected from across the country’s ten regions.

The centres are responsible for carrying out the operation of identifying and registering socially vulnerable persons and households, with the aim to take care of them.

To accomplish this important mission, each of these centres received computer equipment consisting of a complete computer, a printer, a modem and an Internet subscription to carry out this work.

Speaking at the ceremony, Minister Irène Nguene disclosed that since 2017, a National Social Protection Policy has been available in Cameroon with the vision to make Cameroon a country with a participatory social protection system, which guarantees everyone, including the most vulnerable, the satisfaction of their basic needs.

She said for the efficient implementation of this National Policy, a database of Socially Vulnerable Persons is necessary in order to objectively determine individuals and households eligible for social protection measures and benefits.

The minister added that the purpose of the equipment was therefore to strengthen working capacities with a view to effectively and efficiently implementing the registration of 250,000 households by June 2025.

“I ask you to make good use of these equipment and, above all, to bear in mind that they are a working tool without which you will not be able to meet the challenge you face. You must be rigorous in your data management, as you are the gateway to this whole process,” Minister Irene Nguene recommended.

She added that the implementation of RESUC aims to reinforce the social protection system in the country.

“If nothing is done to strengthen the resilience of socially vulnerable individuals and households to social, environmental, food and economic shocks and risks, our country could see the social divide widen and turn into an open crisis with lasting consequences for the country’s social stability and cohesion,” the Minister stated.

Minister Irène Nguéné, recipients, pose for group photo

Enter recipients

The recipients of the equipment, the heads of the pilot social centres, all expressed gratitude to the minister for the gesture and promised to get to work immediately.

The head of the Nkololoun social centre in Douala II Subdivision, Augustine Ngassi, said her centre already has a well elaborated action plan.

“In the next few hours, we will be working day and night as recommended. In collaboration with the administrative and religious authorities, we’ll be raising awareness and registering the real cases in need. In my locality, we have people living in truly deplorable conditions. I am thinking in particular of the internally displaced people living in promiscuity in the Bois des Singes neighbourhood. This is a timely project for them,” she said.

On his part, the head of the social centre of Mora, Gamabika Jeremie, pointed out that the computer equipment will facilitate their data collection, and enhance communication with the central database in the Ministry.

“With this equipment we will work principally online. Our work will be more effective and efficient. Immediately we collect data, we send it to the central system,” Gamabika said.

This story was first published in The Guardian Post issue No:3212 of Wednesday August 28, 2024