2nd stop of the caravan 52 Weeks Women and Performance: MINDCAF LISTENS TO WOMEN‘S CONCERNS

The 2nd stop of the Caravan 52 Weeks Women and Performance made a stopover at MINDCAF last 29th August 2025, as part of a conference to discuss and share experience, with experts from all over the world, on a central theme: "Women and Land rights; one woman, one land title ". The aim was to raise awareness among women about their ability to get involved in the process of acquiring land certificates in Cameroon.

               This ceremony, organised by the Network Women and Performance (REFEP), whose president is Mrs Pauline Catherine Mutlen épse Bikai and the Give Back to Mama Movement led by Mr Ervé Mandeng. was held under the joint patronage of MINDCAF and MINPROFF. The event brought together about one thousand of women from various backgrounds, in search of accurate information on State lands, surveys, land tenure and State property procedures.

The Ministry of State Property, Surveys and Land Tenure was represented by Mrs Constante Kamgang, Honorary ad hoc Inspector General, Head of the Studies, Planning and Cooperation Division. The Ministry of Women's Empowerment and the Family was represented by Mrs Makota Isabelle, Director of the Department of Women’s Economic Empowerment.

During her opening speech, the representative of Minister Henri Eyebe Ayissi aptly highlighted all the efforts deployed over the years in MINDCAF, based on decrees, laws, ordinances, circular letters whose contents are consistently shared by the Minister. He places women and youth at the centre of all activities relating to the process of acquiring land certificates. As chairperson of the gender focal team, she aptly pointed out the crucial and inclusive nature of this initiative aimed at informing, raising awareness and training women on the ways to be leveraged in order to acquire a reliable, viable and secured piece of land in Cameroon.

Legal clinics serve as tangible evidence, that MINDCAF supports women in their quest for long term solutions, which make them less dependent and valued in society. Through this workshop and many others, women obtained more land certificates in 2025 than in previous years. According to MINDCAF’s statistical yearbook, out of 100 land certificates issued, 29 are owned by women.

Besides, updated data from the study which was carried out in 2019 through the Project to Support the Modernisation of the Land Registration System and the Improvement of the Business Climate (PAMOCCA) reveal that 39% of land certificate holders in Cameroon are women. This percentage is intended to rise and improve, in order to further promote women’s empowerment in land management and their real estate ownership. As part of the streamlining of direct land registration procedure, aimed at encouraging greater involvement of women in land related issues, Minister Henri Eyebe Ayissi prescribed the Certificate of Possession of administratively recognized customary rights. This is a legal document issued to women which enables them to secure their lands, just after the field visit of the land consultative board, chaired by the competent SDO, in order to protect themselves from any possible land grabbing.  

After discussions with several experts, it was recommended that women should take ownership of the procedures for obtaining land certificates. In this way, Cameroon will be more equitable and above all, women will be properly equipped to contribute meaningfully to the country's emergence.