At 7th Citizen Dialogue: CRADEC, partners discuss integration of gender into Cameroon’s tax system.

The two-day event organised by CRADEC under the theme: “Towards Equitable Tax Justice: Promoting Citizen Engagement and Gender Equity in Cameroon”, was launched in Yaounde yesterday.

It is attended by stakeholders from both the private and public sectors. The gathering is part of the implementation of the Tax Justice Strengthening Project, SCUT. 

It is financed by the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation, NORAD, with support from Pan-African organisation, Tax Justice Network Africa, TJNA. 

Yesterday stakeholders discussed tax justice and citizen engagement with focus on sensitising participants on the importance of tax justice and citizen engagement in the Cameroonian context. 

Participants also reflected on issues and challenges relating to transparency and accountability in the management of public finances. They also touched on how to foster effective interaction between the various stakeholders in the chain to ensure effective opinion sharing and consensus building on required actions relating to tax justice.

Mobilization of tax resources by notably exploring the mechanisms that can be utilised to mobilize domestic resources and their impacts in the economic development of Cameroon also came under review. 

Dialogue decisive… 

The Executive Director of CRADEC, Jean Mballa Mballa, said the event is provide CRADEC and partners an avenue to strongly push for decisive adjustments in the tax justice system especially those working in favor of women and young people.

He said the seventh Citizen Dialogue will lay a solid foundation through the analyzing and formulation of recommendations that could be followed up in ensuring that women are fully taken into account when tax justice is discussed in Cameroon on a short term and long-term basis.

Mballa Mballa detailed that CRADEC and partners are also pleased by the fact that their latest push for improved efforts is coming at a time when the Head of State, and legislators have been engaged in fronting calls for women and young people to be prioritized in the country’s development chain. 

“When we look at the Finance Law, we see that there is a glimmer of will and hope in relation to this issue. This is because have seen that the Finance Law envisages the creation of a special fund for women’s entrepreneurship,” Mballa Mballa stated.

“This is an indicator that the Finance Law of 2026 will certainly begin to lay the groundwork and go in the direction of being able to support women in national public finances,” he added.

CRADEC executive director, Jean Mballa Mballa addressing pressmen 

Participants hail scheme

Participants lauded CRADEC for the initiative. The president of civil society organisation working group for gender and public policy in Cameroon, Adakou Apedo-Ameh, said initiatives will give room for the effective involvement of women in the tax justice chain and go a long way in promoting overall growth in the sector.

Adakou argued that the program will lay the ground for much needed awareness in involving not only women but local administrators and other key players.

“We realize that even at the level of councils, there is always misunderstanding on the issues of taxes and budget. Locals do not understand the fact that it is the tax revenues that come from us that are redistributed for government spendings. This project will help us to introduce more awareness raising in that regards although it is not part of our priorities as an association,” Adakou said.

The Executive Secretary of the national organisation for the promotion of education and development, ONAPED, Augustine Ntchamande, said recommendations will facilitate the smooth flow of resources at the local and regional levels especially in the field of education.

“We are particularly interested in this search for equity and tax justice, because today we have the impression that state resources which should be centers for promotion and local development do not always receive what should come back to them to facilitate development at the various local levels,” ONAPED official said.

Rich discussions

Yesterday’s discussions were punctuated by a session to identify the challenges encountered by stakeholders in the mobilisation of resources and innovative solutions that may break the barriers. 

It equally touched on how to promote the sharing of good practices among participants to boost their capacities in the collection and management of national resources. 

Today, participants are expected to discuss on the Fair Tax Monitor-Gender Cameroon draft report, which focuses on the presentation of the preliminary results of a study conducted on the impact of fiscal policies on gender in Cameroon in a bid to promote gender equality in tax policies in alignment with Cameroon’s priorities.

This article was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3650 of Tuesday December 09, 2025