At 64th African Women’s Day: Minister urges women to champion sanitation, peace, family education.

In attendance were members of government, parliamentarians, representatives of the diplomatic corps, international organisations, traditional and religious leaders, administrative authorities, and women’s organisations from across Cameroon and Central Africa.

This year’s celebration held under the theme: “Women’s Action for Safe Sanitation, Peaceful Communities and Better Living Conditions”.

Officials said the theme aligns with the African Union’s 2026 continental theme: “Assuring Sustainable Water Availability and Safe Sanitation Systems to Achieve the Goals of Agenda 2063”.

The celebration was marked by the participation of women from several ECCAS member States.

Minister Abena Ondoa used the event to pay tribute to the pioneers of the movement for laying foundations for women’s empowerment in Africa. 

She said 64 years after its creation, the Pan-African Women’s Organisation, PAWO, continues to play a key role in promoting equality and ensuring the inclusion of women in decision-making processes. 

She hailed PAWO Vice President, Madeleine Tefak, and one of the organisation’s pioneering members, for continuing the movement’s ideals.

She noted that sustainable development cannot be achieved without women’s active participation in managing sanitation, promoting hygiene, protecting public health, and fostering peaceful coexistence.

She was categorical that women remain key actors in educating children about cleanliness, environmental protection and responsible citizenship. The influence of women within households, she said, places them at the fore of efforts to build healthier and more resilient communities.

Women, she said, contribute significantly to community monitoring, awareness-raising, social mediation, conflict prevention and the promotion of behaviours that support both public health and social harmony.

“Their full and equal participation in designing sanitation and peace solutions is a key factor for resilience and development,” she stated.

According to the minister, the African Union’s decision to dedicate the year 2026 to water and sanitation reflects growing recognition that sustainable water management is essential to economic growth, industrialization, job creation, and social transformation across Africa.

Abena Ondoa noted that inadequate access to safe water and sanitation disproportionately affects women and girls, who often bear the burden of water collection and household hygiene management.

She said improving access to drinking water and sanitation facilities is critical not only for public health but also for women’s empowerment and gender equality.

Minister Abena Ondoa underscored the importance of strengthening cooperation among African women and reaffirmed the need to revive the spirit of solidarity that inspired the founders of PAWO during the early years of African independence.

The minister also commended the successful organisation of the maiden edition of the Global African Women’s Summit, GLAWOS, held as part of the week-long activities surrounding African Women’s Day.

The summit, she said, discussed strategies for advancing women’s rights and participation in development. 

She called on African women to continue the over six decades started by pioneers such as Aoua Keita, Mali’s first female Member of Parliament, and other trailblazers of the Pan-African women’s movement.

“Time has come to rekindle the flame lit more than sixty years ago by Aoua Keita and her comrades,” she declared.

Call for greater parental responsibility

Minister Abena Ondoa also used the occasion to address growing concerns about insecurity and violence affecting children and young people.

She called on parents, particularly mothers, to strengthen their educational role and ensure better protection of children during the ongoing holiday period.

The minister regretted the exposure of young children to risks by being sent onto the streets late at night. She urged families to instil values of discipline, tolerance, peace, and respect while ensuring children grow up in safe and supportive environments.

The African Women’s Day, it should be said, traces its origins to the first Congress of the Pan-African Women’s Organisation, PAWO, held in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, in 1962. 

The annual observance commemorates the role African women played in the struggle for independence and highlights their continuing contribution to development, governance, and peace across the continent.

More than six decades after its creation, PAWO remains one of the African Union’s key institutions promoting gender equality and women’s participation in decision-making processes.

This article was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3869 of Wednesday August 05, 2026