Empowering Women Leaders in Tubah: A Step Towards Gender-Inclusive Governance

In a significant stride toward gender equality and inclusive governance, CAGEAD recently supported female councilors in Tubah to advocate for the inclusion of a gender policy in their council’s budget. This initiative is part of the broader project titled "Building Resilience and Inclusive Local Institutions and Empowering Local Women Leaders, implemented with support from GIZ and in partnership with Tubah Municipal Council. The Government of Cameroon, with backing from development partners, has been actively working to implement the National Action Plan II for UNSCR 1325, which aims to promote women’s participation in peacebuilding and conflict resolution. As part of this effort, CAGEAD’s work in Tubah and Bamenda III Councils focuses on empowering female leaders and councilors to engage meaningfully in local governance.

 In December 2025, fifteen female leaders and councilors from Tubah Council received training on UNSCR 1325, advocacy skills, and leadership. Following this training, focus group discussions highlighted the urgent need for a gender policy to address women’s issues within the councils. Since then, female councilors have been actively pushing for the incorporation of this policy into the council’s budgeting process. Building on this momentum, CAGEAD collaborated with trained female councilors to develop a comprehensive advocacy briefing, supported by factual insights from these discussions. The goal was to persuade the council session to adopt a gender policy as part of their budget. This effort proved successful when the issue was deliberated upon and ultimately adopted by the Tubah Council on the 12th of March 2026, marking a significant milestone in promoting gender equality at the local government level.

 The impact of these efforts has been notable, with female councilors becoming more assertive and persistent in advocating for women’s issues, fostering a more inclusive approach to local governance. This achievement demonstrates that with strategic advocacy and capacity building, meaningful change is possible at the community level.

The successful inclusion of a gender policy in the Tubah Council’s budget highlights the transformative power of strategic advocacy and capacity building. CAGEAD remains committed to supporting such initiatives, firmly believing that advancing gender equality is essential for sustainable development and peacebuilding in the region. 

By Muh Yvonne Nchim