Partnership Agreement: Yaoundé 6 Commits to Concrete Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities

The Yaoundé 6 Council and the platform Inclusive Society for Persons with Disabilities signed a partnership agreement yesterday, formalizing six years of joint action to promote the inclusion of persons with disabilities.

The ceremony took place in the Council’s Act Hall, in the presence of the First Deputy Mayor representing the municipal executive, Mr. Jean Pierre Fopa, President of the Platform’s General Assembly Bureau, the representative of partner Sight Savers, municipal councilors, leaders of member Organizations of Persons with Disabilities, the Council’s Secretary General, and other guests.

The agreement cements a long-standing collaboration aimed at integrating persons with disabilities into the activities and governance of the local authority. With this step, Yaoundé 6 joins a select group of Cameroonian councils making inclusion a tangible reality, alongside Bafoussam 1st, Ebolowa, Maroua 3rd, Mbalmayo, and Yagoua.

In their remarks, representatives of the three entities highlighted actions already implemented: awareness campaigns, training sessions, and the participation of persons with disabilities in official council events.

Mr. Jean Pierre Fopa used the opportunity to present requests aimed at achieving full autonomy for persons with disabilities in the subdivision. He called for the provision of a dedicated space for meetings and activities, facilities and, where possible, quotas in commercial spaces under construction, as well as representation quotas within the council and other decision-making bodies.

Yaoundé 6 Council is already leading by example. Its council includes councilors with disabilities, and recently, about fifteen municipal staff participated in a training seminar on inclusion. In addition, a number of persons with disabilities regularly take part in the commune’s official activities.

A model worth encouraging and replicating elsewhere.

Étienne Didier ONANA (c) mbolocameroon.com