NGO unveils portal to boost citizen participation in elections.

This was during a brief ceremony held at the residence of the British High Commissioner to Cameroon.

The platform was launched in partnership with Community Solutions Media, CSM, and the British High Commission.

VoteCam, it should be said, is an open-source website that proposes to equip Cameroonians with the knowledge to deepen their participation in the country’s election and governance process, particularly as the 2025 presidential election approaches.

Speaking yesterday at the get-together involving journalists and Civil Society Organisation, CSO representatives, the Chief Executive Officer, CEO of Action for Development and Empowerment, ADE, Ndi Nancy Saiboh, said the aim of launching the project is to deepen citizens’ participation in governance and provide credible access to information before, during, and after elections.

The civil society actor told the gathering that VoteCam App which is available on Google PlayStore, is a digital application designed to enhance youth civic engagement and political participation in Cameroon. 

She said the mobile App among other things simplifies access to electoral information, voter registration points, and civic education resources for young Cameroonians across the country.

“One thing that is unique about VoteCam App is that it is live; you get live notifications…so, if an ELECAM team is moving for example to Mvog-Mbi, you will receive a notification…if they are going to Tokombere, a notification will be sent to everybody who has the App. If there are breaking or trending news, you will receive them. Some people might not even know who the different candidates will be, so we are going to do a profiling of the presidential candidates and even for subsequent elections be it municipal, legislative…,” she explained.

Quizzed on the user-friendly nature of the App, Ndi Nancy narrated that: “When you download the App, you must not have access to internet to have notifications…That is how friendly the App is. The App is also bilingual”.

“Also, in the App, there is the option of feedback. We can’t do something for citizens without having this option of feedback. So, through the App, citizens can share their feedbacks with us” she added.

Enter British envoy

Meanwhile, the British High Commissioner to Cameroon, His Excellency Matt Woods, who sat through Tuesday’s event, has welcomed the development, stating that it is a great leap in efforts aimed at encouraging electoral participation especially for young people.

“I think it’s a great project. We are very happy with the collaboration from ELECAM to develop this with ADE and CSM. The idea is really to try to encourage young people to vote. It’s really been a joint effort…to take information directly from ELECAM and bring it closer to young people and citizens of Cameroon,” the diplomat told newsmen.

He was quick to clarify that: “This project has got nothing to do with politics in the political sense. It is a purely civic project”.

“So, it’s very exciting to launch the App today” the British envoy to Yaounde concluded. 

For his part, a representative of Elections Cameroon, ELECAM who attended the launch, has felicitated initiators of the project, noting that the move will go a long way in complementing the efforts of the elections management organ.

“This application is highly welcomed because it will enable potential voters to register on the electoral list. This App will make voter registration flexible…through this App, voters can get access Electoral Code…,” he said.

This article was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3471 of Thursday June 12, 2025