With 67 days to Cameroon’s presidential election, the political battleground has narrowed to 12 cleared contenders and a record 8.2 million registered voters. Yet within that vast electorate lies a smaller, often overlooked group whose voices are barely audible in the national conversation: persons with disabilities.
Latest data from Elections Cameroon (ELECAM) shows that as of December 2024, only 33,985 voters were officially registered as having a disability. Advocates warn this figure grossly under‑represents the reality, given that global estimates place the proportion of persons with disabilities at 15% of any population. The number should be even higher in Cameroon’s conflict‑affected regions, where war injuries and trauma have created new disabilities over the past eight years.
Chick Sama, Coordinator of the Coordinating Unit of Associations of Persons with Disabilities, says none of the presidential candidates has meaningfully addressed disability inclusion.
“To the best of my knowledge, none of them have articulated on the topic of disability. The most I have heard are vague points about respecting all citizens and running an inclusive government; but for us, inclusion does not automatically mean disability inclusion. We need a proper disability inclusion strategy where the laws and conventions ratified by the state are fully functional.” he told Hilltopvoices.
Chich Sama, speaking during an advocacy event in Bamenda
He stresses that economic empowerment must be at the core of such a strategy, including access to formal employment. He recommends creating a dedicated national council or commission for disability inclusion and obliging every government structure to set aside a budget for disability‑specific issues.
“Every country doing well in disability inclusion has such a body. We need to do the same.” Sama Chick adds
Ngong Peter Tonain, president of the Hope Social Union for the Visual Impaired (HSUVI), is equally blunt.
“Political inclusion still seems far‑fetched. I haven’t heard any candidate say anything specific to the interests of persons with disabilities. If they don’t have such plans, they should start thinking of them right away. Excluding us from the political process is a recipe for a doomed nation.” he said
Peter Tonain believes the official figure of 33,985 disabled voters is misleadingly low because registration processes are not designed to accommodate all disabilities. In the North West and South West regions, both affected by the ongoing conflict the proportion should be significantly higher due to conflict‑related disabilities.
ELECAM has taken some measures to improve accessibility, including segregated polling stations for persons with disabilities and ballots in Braille. But Tonain sees flaws in both.
“Segregating us into one polling station can create stigma, especially if results there don’t favour certain candidates. And as for Braille ballots literacy among the visually impaired in Cameroon is less than 5%. How do you expect people to use them?” he questioned
Ngong Peter Tonain, HSUVI
Both leaders say these efforts fall short of genuine inclusion and call for practical, context‑specific solutions from barrier‑free polling stations and sign‑language interpretation to voter education in accessible formats.
While persons with disabilities make up a small proportion of the official electoral roll, their influence is not negligible. In closely fought constituencies, a bloc of a few thousand votes can tip results. But the issue extends beyond numbers, it is about the credibility of the democratic process.
“Inclusion means nothing unless it’s intentional. And intention requires action, resources, and political will.” Sama says
Peter Tonain adds that political stakeholders must integrate disability perspectives from the start of the electoral process not as an afterthought.
With the presidential field set and the campaign period approaching, the absence of disability‑specific commitments from the candidates risks entrenching a cycle of exclusion. The conflict in the North West and South West has already expanded the ranks of persons with disabilities; ignoring their political voice compounds the harm.
The 12 contenders now face a choice: treat disability inclusion as a marginal issue, or embrace it as a central test of their leadership vision. In an election that could be decided by narrow margins, neglecting this community may not only be unjust it could also prove politically costly.
By Bakah Derick for Hilltopvoices Newsroom
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