Vote Smart Cameroon project: FPS, Canadian High Commission launch phase two.

It was under the theme: “Beyond the ballot”.

Officials said it targets youth, women and women leaders, conflict-affected communities, electoral and governance stakeholders.

Media professionals and civil society organisations in the South West, North West, Centre and West Regions are also priority in the project.

According to officials, the project is aimed at strengthening electoral integrity, inclusive governance and democratic trust in Cameroon especially ahead of twin elections expected next year.

The Political Counsellor and Senior Trade Commissioner at the High Commission of Canada in Cameroon, Robert Bissett, attended the event.

FPS’ representative, Mac Courage Bih Bekondo, the representatives of Elections Cameroon, ELECAM, and the Cameroon Human Rights Commission, were also present.

There was a sandbox and dialogue session during which discussions centered on strengthening electoral governance through citizen participation, transparency and accountability.

FPS’s Bih Bekondo said the new phase of the project will run for six months viz: October 2026 to March 2027.

Bih Bekondo said the scheme will build on the successes of the first phase which was executed last year and targeted mainly first-time voters. 

She said the project strives to bring Cameroonians to the point of trusting in democracy and holding leaders to account. 

“After the six months of the project, we expect Cameroonians to freely participate in electoral activities…they can actually assess the work that their leaders are doing and give them scores,” Bih Bekondo stated.

The representative of the Canadian High Commission, Robert Bissett, said the government of Canada is proud to support the project. 

He said the Canadian government is confident that by supporting the project, it is contributing indirectly to encourage citizen participation and strengthen trust in democratic institutions.

Bissett noted that “strong democracies are built on informed citizens, transparent institutions and the meaningful participation of all members of society, including women, youth, and persons with disabilities”.

The Head of Training and Internships at ELECAM, Epiepang Susan, said the launch of the second phase of the project provides an opportunity to build on previous efforts to promote responsible citizenship and informed participation in elections.

“Its success therefore should not be measured by the number of meetings held or people reached, but also by improvements in citizens’ understanding of electoral procedures, access to reliable information, and capacity to participate peacefully and responsibly,” she added. 

Understanding new phase

The second phase, it was said, will be marked by five key activities. They mentioned establishing civic integrity sandboxes, democratic dialogue building, holding of community verification networks and rumour clinics for electoral integrity.

It was added that the phase will also cover will also cover the introduction of citizen governance scorecards for responsive and inclusive governance, the promotion of democratic risk monitoring and early warning mechanisms.

The civic integrity sandboxes for democratic dialogue and trust building, for instance, the authorities said, will be hosted as structured dialogue platforms.

It was detailed that it will bringing together citizens, governance actors, electoral stakeholders, civil society, and the media. 

The community verification networks and rumour clinics for electoral integrity, officials added, will centre on training 30 media experts, civil society organisations and community leaders on information verification in the target regions. 

Stakeholders said they expect to achieve sustained citizen–institution dialogue across the four regions, improved information integrity and sustained governance accountability.

The results, those running the project said, will contribute immensely in boosting informed civic participation in electoral processes, improving resilience against misinformation, and strengthening accountability through citizen-centered feedback and dialogue mechanisms.

This article was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3948 of Friday October 23, 2026