Cameroon's minister delegate at the presidency in charge of public procurement, Ibrahim Talba Malla, has ordered contracting authorities and tender commissions to include women, young people and people with disabilities in sufficient numbers, in a letter-circulaire the ministry circulated in October 2026.
The document covers gender promotion, gender equality, the disability approach and the empowerment of women and young people through public procurement. It is addressed to project owners and to the tender commissions that examine bids and award contracts.
On women's place, the text states that where they meet the required conditions they must sit "in numbers if not equal to those of men, at least sufficiently represented", the letter-circulaire says.
The requirement extends beyond the commissions. The body responsible for regulating public procurement must ensure women are well represented in the sector's register of approved experts. The same requirement applies to the recruitment of independent observers under article 48, paragraph h, of the public procurement code.
Quantified monitoring is also planned. The commissions' periodic activity reports must now include employment statistics on women, young people and people with disabilities.
The directive sets a representation standard for the bodies that award public contracts and a reporting requirement that will show whether the standard is met.