Efforts to secure birth certificates offer hope to Cameroon’s marginalized Indigenous communities

In rural Cameroon’s hope is on the horizon for Indigenous communities like the Baka and Bagyieli, as new initiatives seek to address their lack of birth certificates—a barrier that has long hindered access to essential services like education and healthcare. The lack of documentation, which affects over 120,000 members of these groups, has limited their ability to participate fully in society.

Francis, an 11-year-old from a Baka village, dreams of becoming a nurse. “I want to be able to treat my grandmother when she is sick,” he said. But his future and that of many other Baka children remain uncertain due to the absence of a birth certificate, which is crucial for accessing secondary education and employment.

Cameroon’s recent steps toward adopting United Nations conventions on statelessness offer a beacon of hope for Indigenous people. By addressing the right to nationality, these measures promise to reduce the discrimination faced by communities that have traditionally lived far from administrative centers.

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Banmi Emmanuel Dingha, chairman of Cameroon’s National Assembly Foreign Affairs Committee, highlighted the importance of the birth certificate, calling it a “crucial” document for citizens. Programs have been initiated to raise awareness and advocate for the rights of these Indigenous groups, with officials like Simplice Nguiamba working to ensure that people have access to nationality documents.

Cameroon’s commitment to reducing statelessness aligns with broader efforts by African nations to address the issue, aiming for greater inclusion and a brighter future for marginalized communities across the continent.