Remittances Helping Bridge The Gender Inequality Divide In Cameroon
Cameroon
is currently ranked 141st out of 189 countries on gender equality,
with gender-based discrimination against
women and girls being extremely apparent throughout much of the country.
Across
Cameroon, just 32.5% of women have some level of secondary school education, while only 1.6% of women own a
property title in their name despite them making up 71.6% of the workers in the
informal agricultural sector.
Overall,
women's and girls’ woes are driven by multidimensional poverty. According to
the World Bank, the number of people living in poverty in Cameroon has risen
since 2007, and the ongoing cost of living crisis is expected to worsen the
national inflation levels. However, international remittances are providing a
positive solution, helping to alleviate the financial divide.
As per
the World Bank, remittances allow lower income households to improve children’s
health and educational outcomes, in addition to increasing their savings. At
the national level, remittances help reduce volatility in growth and support
national GDP.
We
spoke to Imane Charioui, Director of Francophone Africa, WorldRemit
on the impact of remittances in bridging the gender inequality divide in
Cameroon, and here is what she had to say.
Q. How badly has inequality,
particularly gender inequality, affected Cameroon’s economic transformation?
A. While the inequality is apparent in Cameroon - it is
an issue that we are faced with across the continent and globally. Many
countries in Africa are struggling with the issue of gender inequality, where
girls and women are still marginalized in terms of access to education,
finance, and other opportunities for empowerment. In Cameroon, 39% of the population live below the poverty line, of
that, 51.5% are women and 79% of are underemployed.
Q. How have remittances helped bridge
the inequality gap in the country?
A. An estimated five million Cameroonians live abroad and are
responsible for sending home over$300 million USD in remittances yearly, with a
significant proportion of these supporting daily expenses including food,
housing and education. Various studies have shown that Cameroonians abroad
appreciate the fact that their families back home would not live comfortably
without their support, admitting that they need to make regular remittances to support their relatives, many of whom have no
income or earn very little.
Q. How do international remittances
contribute to the transformation of girls’ education in Cameroon?
A. Research shows that remittances greatly promote
education for girls aged 5-25 education in Cameroon, with the highest impact
being on those aged18-25. Education, whether at home or abroad
can positively impact the futures of Cameroonian females. We continue to see an
impact of positive society change, through education, both in metropolitan
communities and for those in rural areas.
Q. Having noted the transformative
value of international remittances to Cameroon’s economy, what innovations do
you see growing tremendously in 2023?
A. The remittance sector has seen significant growth in
recent years, thanks to access to technologies that enable financial
accessibility across Cameroon. Through WorldRemit,
Cameroonians abroad can send money to their relatives in remote parts of the
country, enabling them to choose from a variety of payout methods including
cash pickup, bank transfer and mobile money.
We're a leading global payments company and, along with Sendwave, part
of Zepz, a group powering two global payments brands. We disrupted an industry
previously dominated by offline legacy players by taking international money
transfers online - making them safer, faster and lower-cost. We currently send
from 50 countries to recipients in 130 countries, operate in more than 5,000
money transfer corridors worldwide and employ over 1,200 people globally.
On the sending side WorldRemit is 100% digital (cashless), increasing
convenience and enhancing security. For those receiving money, the company
offers a wide range of options including bank deposit, cash collection, mobile
airtime top-up and mobile money.
Backed by Accel, TCV and Leapfrog – WorldRemit's headquarters are in
London, United Kingdom with regional offices around the globe.
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