Women resolve to stand together in solidarity against harmful dev’t projects.

The decision was taken at the end of a one-day workshop held in Yaounde Wednesday, August 27. The gathering, organised by Women Oriented Actions for Change, WOAC, served as a platform for solidarity, sharing experiences, and collectively denouncing the violations and hardships linked to large-scale development projects.

The Yaounde meeting brought together women from Campo, Mbonjo, Nachtigal, and Kikot. It was the project Officer of WOAC, Ntube Ngole Eunice who welcomed the women in her opening remarks. 

She underscored the heavy burden women bear when projects disrupt livelihoods before calling on participants to “not die in silence”.

“We want to bring together mothers and women who are impacted by the different development projects in Cameroon,” she explained. 

“We all know that these projects have an impact on them, but why do we put the emphasis on women? When there is perhaps a lack in the supply of food, it is the mother who does not sleep at night… she is the one who has this burden,” Ngole said.

The WOAC official stressed that women are often left voiceless despite being the most affected. 

“Most of the time, these mothers do not have enough opportunities to express all that they are experiencing in secret,” she said. 

“That is why WOAC, since its creation, has tried to accompany, listen to mothers and give them hope, to tell them that no matter what you go through, your voices count too” she reiterated.

Participants lament  

The participants, during the meeting took turns to share their experiences in their various communities.

Bella Marie Victorine from Batchenga, a community impacted by the Nachtigal hydroelectric dam was blunt in her disappointment.

“The dam has been successfully implanted, but we are still victims, because we live from the earth, we live from the djangsa, we live from the leaves. Presently, the earth is destroyed, there is nothing left, absolutely nothing. it is God who sustains us at this point,” she lamented.

She explained that promises of compensation have fallen short. 

“…they have given solar panels in other communities, but not to everybody,” she said. 

Her biggest wish, she added, was for women to be directly involved in future negotiations. 

“For future projects, the women must be on the negotiating table. Because it is the woman who has the key to the family, it is the woman who has the worries of the family” she stated.

For her part, Etonde Marie-Noel from Souza in the Littoral Region also shared the same sentiments as Bella Victorine. 

She lamented the unwanted pregnancies, arbitrary detention and the non-respect of terms and condition of the initial land agreement by the Palm processing company, SOCAPALM and its workers.

Women resolve to stay united 

Against the backdrop of the several problems enumerated by the women, participants at the end of the workshop came up with an eight-point declaration which they say, will serve as a guide to their relentless fight for justice amid development. 

 In their declaration, the women affirmed that while Cameroon’s drive toward economic emergence has multiplied major projects, it has often come at the expense of their rights, livelihoods, and environment. 

“We, the women representing various communities affected by development projects across Cameroon, stand united in the recognition of our experiences, our resilience, our right to be heard, and our visions for the future,” the statement read.

The women condemned the lack of proper consultation, inadequate compensation, and the silencing of gender-specific concerns. 

“Development must not violate our rights to be informed, consulted, and compensated for losses caused by these projects, nor be carried out at the expense of our voices, our rights, or our environment,” they declared.

The declaration highlighted women’s inseparable ties to land, water, and forests. 

“Our lands are our sources of income and life; our rivers provide drinking water, and our forests are our pharmacopoeia. Any disruption to these systems affects us directly” they said.

This article was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3548 of Friday August 28, 2025