The appeal was launched on Thursday 11 July 2024 at the Place des Fêtes in Kaele by the Minister Delegate to the Minister of the Economy, Planning and Regional Development, Mr. Paul Tasong, on the occasion of the 35th World Population Day, celebrated under the theme: “Harnessing the power of inclusive data for a resilient and equitable future for all”.

Many people gathered on 11 July 2024 at the Celebration Square of Kaele, the capital of the Mayo-Kani division in the Far-North region. Apart from the Minister of Environment, Nature Protection, and Sustainable Development, Mr. Helé Pierre, and the Minister of Livestock, Fisheries and Animal Industries, Dr Taïga, were also present some political, administrative, religious, and traditional elites were present, as well as people from the eight Sub-Divisions of the Division. This celebration marked the end of a series of sporting, cultural, and educational activities organised from 5 to 11 July 2024.

In his capacity as Mayor of Kaele, Jean Krouma hailed the efforts made by the government in his municipality to improve the living conditions of the local population through the Public Investments Budget. The Lord Mayor of Kaele also called on the public authorities to step up these actions, including the rehabilitation of the Magada-Kaele Road and other roads linking the councils to the division’s capital, as well as the installation of mini solar power stations in each municipality. Moreover, he seized the opportunity to hand over to the Minister Delegate to MINEPAT the Council Development Plan (CDP) for the municipality of Kaele, the steering reference framework for the development of the said council.

After commending the strong mobilisation of the dynamic forces of the Mayo-Kani Division at this celebration, the Minister Delegate of MINEPAT indicated that he would be able to best use this CDP. Recalling the theme of the 2024 edition of the WPD, Mr. Paul Tasong emphasised that this highly challenging theme was directly in line with the priorities of the Cameroon Government. “We need good statistical data to support the effective implementation of development policies”, said the Minister Delegate. Conscious of this reality, Cameroon, with the support of its technical and financial development partners, is committed to modernising its data collection system through, among other things: the adoption in July 2020 of the law governing statistical activity in Cameroon; the updating of the National Development Strategy for Statistics over the 2021-2030 period; the setting up of a statistical and geographic information system articulated at the communal, regional and national levels; the creation of two institutions dedicated to the production of statistical data, namely the National Institute of Statistics and the Central Bureau of Census and Population Studies, etc. Despite these commendable initiatives, there is still a long way ahead to provide Cameroon with a robust and effective statistical information system, as recommended in the 2020-2030 National Development Strategy. Accordingly, the Minister Delegate invited the development partners of Cameroon to provide greater support to the country in the production of quality statistical data.

The Representative of the Resident Representative of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) concurred, calling for greater support from Cameroon’s partners in the implementation of the ongoing General Census of Population and Housing and General Census of Agriculture and Livestock. “The collection of inclusive and reliable data is a powerful tool for promoting progress for all”, said Mr. Felix Kouam. The UNFPA spokesperson also commended Cameroon’s efforts in the provision of sexual and reproductive health care.

Apart from the official speeches, the celebration ceremony for the 2024 edition of the WPD was also marked by the reading of the UN Secretary General’s statement, the grand parade, the performance of traditional dance groups, the awarding of prizes to the athletes and equipment to the ICGs and cooperatives to support their activities, and a guided tour of the stands, to name but a few.