Day Two of the North West Women Mediators' Summit has begun with an advocacy session bringing together traditional rulers from across the North West Region, women mediators, civil society actors and community leaders to examine pathways for strengthening women's participation in community governance.


The session forms part of ongoing efforts by Mother of Hope Cameroon (MOHCAM) to institutionalise women's contributions to peacebuilding and conflict resolution within traditional structures.

Facilitating the dialogue is Dr Sally Mboumien, Executive Director of COMAGEND, a renowned peacebuilder, gender expert and advocate for women's inclusion in peace processes.

Opening the session, Dr Mboumien described the gathering as a rare opportunity for direct engagement between traditional institutions and grassroots women leaders.

Quote: "Let this session be an interface between the palace and the people. We should be able to speak freely and interact freely."



Dr Sally Mboumien challenged participants to reflect on how traditional institutions can build on the successes already achieved by women mediators across the North West Region.

She reminded participants that women trained under the MOHCAM Women Mediation Project have handled more than 100 mediation cases with an impressive 87.5 per cent success rate.

According to the facilitator, the debate is no longer whether women can contribute to peacebuilding, but how those contributions can be formally recognised and sustained through traditional governance systems.

Quote: "What happens when these women succeed today but there is no structure to carry their work forward tomorrow?"



Several Fons highlighted structures already operating within their communities to ensure women's participation.

Examples shared included:

Women's councils

Female representatives within village councils

Women's advisory structures linked to traditional leadership

Women serving in development associations and community committees

One traditional ruler revealed that women currently occupy positions within a village council comprising representatives from various quarters of the community.

Another disclosed that women are represented in both a women's council and the traditional council itself.

The contributions demonstrated that while models differ from one community to another, women's participation is already taking place in various forms.



A traditional ruler from Donga Mantung Division argued that women's representation should continue to grow naturally rather than through fixed quotas.

According to him, women are increasingly earning leadership positions because of their contributions to development and governance.

Quote: "The more women deliver, the more their numbers increase. We are already seeing that happen."

The intervention sparked discussion on whether formal guarantees are necessary to preserve gains already being recorded.



One of the strongest themes emerging from the discussion is the need to move beyond goodwill.

Participants questioned whether current gains could be maintained if future traditional leaders chose a different path.

Many argued that women's participation should be embedded within recognised community structures rather than relying on the personal commitment of individual leaders.

Dr Mboumien noted that institutionalisation is essential for sustainability.

Quote: "The goodwill of one leader may not automatically be transferred to the next. That is why communities are asking for things to be written in stone."


The discussion shifted to traditional female institutions that historically played important roles in conflict resolution, social regulation and community welfare.

Participants observed that many of these structures have gradually weakened or disappeared due to inadequate documentation and changing social realities.

Traditional rulers and women leaders agreed that revisiting these indigenous systems could provide valuable entry points for strengthening women's participation today.



Several contributors cautioned that efforts to increase women's participation must remain sensitive to cultural realities.

Participants stressed that traditional institutions remain custodians of community identity and values.

However, facilitators maintained that culture is not static and has historically evolved to respond to community needs.

Dr Mboumien reassured traditional leaders that the summit was not seeking to dismantle cultural structures but to explore how existing systems can better serve communities.

Quote: "We are not trying to change traditions. We are discussing how existing structures can help build stronger communities."



A recurring concern throughout the session has been the absence of documented traditional governance systems.

Participants warned that many young people no longer understand how traditional institutions function, while some struggle to speak local languages or identify traditional leadership structures.

The lack of written records, participants argued, has created a growing disconnect between younger generations and their cultural heritage.

Quote: "Many young women do not even know the opportunities that already exist because these systems are not documented."


The dialogue expanded beyond gender representation to include the participation of women living with disabilities.

Participants challenged traditional authorities to consider how governance structures can become more accessible and inclusive.

Questions were raised about representation, physical accessibility and the need to intentionally include women with disabilities in mediation, leadership and decision-making processes.

The intervention received broad support from participants.


Facilitators repeatedly returned to the question of sustainability.

Building on the achievements of MOHCAM's Women Mediation Project, participants explored where trained women mediators could be formally integrated within traditional governance systems.

Suggestions included linking mediators to existing women's councils, community advisory structures and recognised traditional institutions.

The objective, facilitators explained, is to ensure continuity beyond the lifespan of projects and donor support.


A participant challenged traditional institutions to move beyond symbolic representation.

While acknowledging that women are often present during consultations, he argued that they are not always involved in actual decision-making processes.

Quote: "We do not only want representation. We want women to be part of consultation and decision-making."

The observation generated significant discussion among both traditional rulers and women leaders.


To illustrate the practical consequences of excluding women from decision-making, Dr Mboumien shared an example from a community development meeting.

According to the account, women invited to discussions on market infrastructure were assigned cooking duties while men proceeded with planning and approving the project.

As a result, important considerations affecting women traders, including sanitation and menstrual hygiene facilities, were reportedly overlooked.

The example prompted reflection on how exclusion can result in development projects that fail to address community realities.


Participants recognised that women mediators have already demonstrated their effectiveness in resolving conflicts and strengthening social cohesion.

The challenge now is ensuring that those skills become embedded within existing community governance systems.

For many contributors, the future lies not in creating parallel structures but in strengthening traditional institutions by integrating the expertise, experience and perspectives women already bring to peacebuilding efforts.

The question is no longer whether women have a role in community governance. The focus is now on how traditional institutions can formally recognise, document and sustain women's contributions to peacebuilding, mediation and community leadership for generations to come.