Yaoundé, Cameroon- on May 28, 2026 the Paul Biya Glass Palace at the National Assembly of Cameroon became the center of major climate discusssions this Thursday as it hosted the international conference femmeAdaptClimat 2026. The high-level pan-African summit brought together heads of state institutions, international diplomats, climate experts, researchers, civil society organization, entrepreneurs and youth leaders under the overarching theme the Possible Positive Narrative.
Organized by Migration & Climate International in partnership with the NGO FEEF ( Foundation for Education and Hope by Flomik) and WOCA(Women and Climate Action), the conference forms parts of the 2026 Pan-African Tour of the International FemmeAdaptClimat Program. The event received the high patronage of the National Assembly of Cameroon and the support of the Ministry of Environnement, Nature Protection and sustainable Development.
At FemmeAdaptClimat 2026, voices from across Africa converged in Yaoundé to prove that climate resilience is not just about policies , it is about people. Women and youth, who form the backbone of agriculture and innovation, are already driving solutions, reshaping narratives, and building a sustainable future from the ground up.From the opening ceremony, speakers emphasized the urgent need for Africa to strengthen climate resilience while ensuring that women and youth remain at the center of climate policies ans sustaianable Development strategies.
According to UN Women (2025), women represent 79% of Cameroon’s agricultural workforce, yet own less than 10% of farmland. Also, only 12% of women farmers have access to formal credit or agricultural insurance (FAO, 2024).Women stand at the very frontline of Cameroon’s climate challenges. Their ability to invest in sustainable practices is severely limited. Access to credit or agricultural insurance is even rarer , only about one in ten women farmers can rely on formal financial support.
Beyond the fields, the burden of survival weighs heavily. Across sub‑Saharan Africa, women spend an average of 4.5 hours each day fetching water and fuel. These hours, lost to exhausting chores, could otherwise be devoted to education, entrepreneurship, or leadership. Instead, climate stress deepens inequality, trapping women in cycles of vulnerability. Their resilience is undeniable, but without structural change, the promise of adaptation due to climate injustice will remain incomplete.
A Strong Opening Call For Action
The summit commenced with a welcoming address from the legislative host. Mrs Begala Mikel Naomie, First Vice-president, speaking on behalf of the National Assembly representative emphasized the geopolitical urgency of aligning international civil action with localise legislation.
« Cameroon does not view climate change as a distant academic concept ; it is an immediate threat to our rural food security doors of this Glass Palace to the Femme Adapt Climat platform, the National Assembly pledges its commitment to translating legislative frameworks into gender-inclusive climate protections. We cannot separate the survival of our ecosystems from the legal empowerment of the women who cultivate them »
Following the host, Mr. Hele Pierre, the Minister of Environnment, Nature Protection and Sustainable Development took the podium to anchor the conference within Cameroon’s exisiting legal mandates. The Minister highlighted the pivotal role of the National Climate Change Adaptation Plan (PNACC), which served as the official administrative and technical reference for the day’s debates.
« True environnmental adaptation requires localised, structural accountablilty. The PNACC is designed to ensure that Cameroon remains resilient, but our national objectives will stall if 80% of our farmers are economically sideline. Our Ministry stands ready to adopt the measurable recommendations genertated by today’s strategic panels to update and execute public policy that works directly for rural communities. »
The Voice of Leadership : Country Representative Interventions
A focal point of the morning session was the address by Marie Florence Hond, the countrry Representative for Migrations & Climat International in Cameroon and President of the NGO FEEF. Her speech cut straight to the core economic contradictions confronting African women on a daily basis, demanding an immediate end to the « vicious cycle of inequality »
« We are here today to permanently discard the narrative of the African woman as a passive victim of environment degradation, » she declared before hundred of participants. The metrics are undeniable : women are the actual backbone of African agriculture, yet they are systematically choked by a lack of green resources, instsitutional poverty, overwhelming domestic burdens, and political marginalisation. Femme Adapt Climat is building a bridge between local realities, the global dispora, and green financing to ensure that thes innovators receive the capital, right, and recognition they deserve. This is what we mean by the Possible Positive Narrative- it is an avtive well-funded reality »
Women at the Frontline of climate Challenges
One of the major discussion during the conference focused on the disproportionate impact of climate change on women particularly those living in rural communities. According to statistics presented during the event, women make up nearly 80% of African agicultural workforce, yet they continue to face limited access to land ownership, agricultural financing, modern farming tools and climate-related resources.
Several speakers highlighted how droughts, floods insecurity and environmental migration affect women more severely, particularly in rural communities. Marie-Claire Ntsama Ngoua, climate policy expert, data analyst, and meteorologist, is the founder and executive director of WOCA, she noted that climate change has increased the burden on women who are often responsible for securing food, water and household stability.
« When crops fail because of drought or flooding, women suffer first, she explained. Many walk longer distances to find water or food for their families. Climate justice must therefore inclue gender justice. »
Participants also discussed the social barriers preventing women from fully participating in environmental decision-making processes. Many argued that policies cannot be effective if women remain excluded from leadership and climate financing opportunities.
Climate Finance : Women Need Opportunities, not Empty promises
Globally, less than 3% of climate finance reaches women‑led initiatives (OECD, 2025). In Central Africa, female entrepreneurs receive 11 times less funding than male‑led startups (AfDB, 2024). Cameroon’s Ministry of Women’s Empowerment, Pr. Marie-Thérèse Abena Ondoa, estimates that ; « closing the gender gap in green entrepreneurship could boost GDP by 2.8% annually« . The panel on climate finance sustainable investments attracted particular attention from entrepreneurs and development partners attending the conference. Speakers highlighted the majors financial barriers preventing African women and youth from developing climate-related projects.
A young entrepreneur from Douala who leads a recycling startup explained the challenges she encountered while trying to access funding « investors often ask us for gurantees we simply cannot provide she said yet our communities are already producing innovative environmental solutions with very limited resources » she called on gouvernments and financial institutions to simplify access to climate financing mechanisms.
The panel proposed several recommendations, including
- The creation of dedicated climate funds for womens-led businesses
- Technical training programs for green entrepreneurs
- Simplified loan procedures for rural cooperatives
- And stronger partenerships between public instittuions and private investors
Indigenous knowledge and Community – Based Solution
Another major highlight of the conference was the second panel session dedicated to indigenous knowledge and traditional environment pratices. Researchers and traditonal leaders explained that African communities have preserved ecosystems for generations through local methods of water conservation, soil managment and biodiversity protection.
A traditional leader from western region of Cameroon emphasized on the importance of reconnecting modern climate policies with ancestral wisdom. Mrs. Lucette Ndongo Zinga, the co-founder of COFECC -Convergence des Femmes du Cameroun sur les Changements Climatiques) raised the alarm: « our ancestors respected nature because they understood the human survival depends on environmental balance, she added that we must not abandon this wisdom in the name of modernity »
women’s cooperatives presented successful examples of sustainable agriculture and ecological restoration already being implemented in loacl communities. One participant described how women in her village use natural composting and organic farming methods to restore degraded land.
Experts like Stella Tchoukep, Forest campaigner at Greenpeace Africa, recommended that climate adaptation strategies should integrate local seeds knowledge, instead of relying solely on imported chemicals models that often fail to reflect African realities.
Research & Innovation Driving Africa’s Green Future
Bridging the gap between future technology and current crises, this third panel session evaluated how modern computer science can serve territorial resilience. Technology expert from ONACC (Observatoire National pour les Changements Climatiques) , IRAD ( Institut de Recherches Agricoles pour les Developpement ) , or AGRIX , a Tech start-up on agriculture, shared surprising details about link between new technology and adaptation issues. Boris Landry Kouekam , a prominent UNESCO award-winning AI researcher , showed how massive global Artificial Intelligence (AI ) data systems can be used to tackle some issues of adaptation, while average african families in rural areas often lack basic electricity.
Instead of avoiding technology the panel advocated creating simple lightweight local AI tools builts by African startups. These tools use very little energy and can send real-time weather updates and crop advice directly to farmers’ simple mobile phones in local languages.
Green Economy & Sustainable Transition
The last panel focused on changing local business models to help lift rural women out of poverty, focusing on recycling systems and public-private partnerships.
Panelists noted that women cannot easily join climate meetings, go to training, or take leadership roles if they spend al their time and energy carrying water and wood for basic household survival.
The speakers called for change in how companies invest. Jocelyne Landry Tsonang , from Women Coalition for Circular Economy , argued that green business projects must include social help like community solar power, clean stoves and nearby water points to reduce the time women spend on hard chores. While Rosy Esso from France Volontaires, equally outlines a new legal framework for business partnerships, stating that any company getting government support must prove their project helps reduce the burden of domestic work for local women.
Nevertheless, Participants expressed hope that the recommendation emerging from conference would influence future climate policies both nationally and internationally.
A message of Hope for Africa
As the conference concluded, organisers reiterated that the theme the ‘Possible Positive Narrative’ reflects the desire to build an optimistic vision for Africa’s future in the face of the climate crisis.
Despite the many challenges confronting the continent, speakers highlighted the innovation, solidarity and adaptability of African populations. For them, women and youth represent essential forces capable of driving a sustainable transformation of African society.
FemmeAdaptClimat 2026 therefore stands out as a strategic platform for promoting a resilient, inclusive Africa fully committed to the global ecological transition.
The conference ended with a clear agreement : African women and youth are now waiting fot outside help. They are already creating new tools, adapting and building sustaianble business models. By giving them direct funds, strong legal rights and economic equality, Cameroon and the rest ofAfrica are doing more than just reacting to bad weather they are building a strong independent and green future.
Calixte Bikié