Speaking during the gala evening to mark the day, Mr Dion Ngute said Cameroon could not afford to be indifferent to the core values of the Commonwealth which among others include gender equality, development and good governance. He said although the number of women in positions of authority still remains low vis-à-vis their proportion in the country’s population, strides have been made and that with ongoing reforms and programmes, there was hope in the horizon. He cited the creation of a ministry in charge of Women’s Empowerment and the Family, the appointment of women to top positions in the country, their increasing number in decision-making bodies and the increasing organisation of workshops to empower them as well as the creation of schools in all parts of the country, as evidence of government’s willingness to give equal rights for all to contribute to socio-economic development. Like the British High Commissioner to Yaounde, Bharat Joshie, who also highlighted the non-negligible contribution of women in development, promising his country’s unwavering support to girl-child education, Mr Dion Ngute said government cannot afford to leave behind development luminaries like women.
Selected female artists and all other actors, in song and dance, showcased the prowess of the womenfolk which was variously described as indispensable for socio-economic development of all countries. One of the high points of the celebration was the reading of Queen Elizabeth 11’s speech on the occasion in which she lauded the great role women play in making society better. “While some people use this day to acknowledge the love, admiration and respect for women, others use it to remember the great social and political strides made both by and for women in the last hundred years. There is no right or wrong approach”, she said.
The event in Yaounde was attended among others by some members of government and High Commissioners of Commonwealth member countries in Cameroon.
