Two diagnostic studies on participatory governance and the identification of strategic gender priorities for cocoa cooperatives were conducted from June 25 to July 11, 2026, in Mintom and Ekombité, in the South. Implemented by SAILD, this initiative aimed to highlight the barriers that still exclude marginalized groups from decision-making processes.
Promoting inclusive and equitable governance within cocoa cooperatives. This was the guiding principle of the studies conducted in June and July 2026 among cocoa cooperatives in the South. The first study focused on a participatory assessment of cooperative governance, while the second identified strategic priorities and developed gender strategies tailored to each cooperative. Two cooperatives in the Dja-et-Lobo department were visited for this purpose: SOCOCAM COOP-CA (Cooperative Society of Cocoa Producers with a Board of Directors) in Ekombité and SCOOPS PROCAM (Simplified Cooperative Society of Cocoa Producers) in Mintom. At each location, focus group sessions and individual interviews were conducted to gather testimonies from cooperative members regarding the involvement of women, youth, and the Baka indigenous people in management.
Inequalities Within Cooperatives
The mission was led by a team from the Support Service for Local Development Initiatives (SAILD), accompanied by gender experts from the consulting firm “Pluriels Croisés.”
According to Franck Ndjodo, project manager, neither of the two cooperatives has a formalized gender policy. Furthermore, the institutional analysis shows that the principles of inclusion and equity are not sufficiently reflected in the governance documents and practices specific to these cooperatives. “These limitations contribute to perpetuating the inequalities observed among the different categories of members. At SOCOCAM, out of 107 members, the approximately 30 women identified have only two representatives on the executive board. At SCOOPS PROCAM, only one woman serves on the management committee,” he noted.
While women denounce inequalities in access to credit and land, as well as underrepresentation in decision-making bodies; young people lament limited access to leadership positions and the excessive length of leaders’ terms, which hinders the renewal of leadership bodies. Several Baka representatives, for their part, expressed a sense of being excluded from cooperative activities and decision-making. Their low level of education is perceived as a factor contributing to this exclusion.
A Wind of Change
The mission nevertheless concluded on a hopeful note. Cooperative leaders and members expressed a desire to increase the representation of women, youth, and the Baka indigenous people in governance bodies. “We have mutually agreed on certain strategic priorities to be considered in each cooperative.
For example, the establishment of representation quotas, leadership training, the
promotion of intercultural dialogue between the Bantu and the Baka, and the development of a gender policy,” said the project manager. These studies revealed, within the cocoa cooperatives, a genuine commitment on the part of leaders and a real interest among young people in the activities of the cocoa sector.
- Sharon Maché
