As part of the implementation of Law No. 2018/011 of 11 July 2018 on the Code of Transparency and Good Governance in the Management of Public Finances in Cameroon, AfroLeadership deployed its 2026 Citizen Budget awareness caravan on 15 April 2026 in Bikok (Méfou-et-Akono Division, Centre Region) — joining the national campaign officially launched on 17 March 2026 in Mbankomo by the Directorate General of the Budget, which tasked seventeen civil society organisations, AfroLeadership among them, with carrying the campaign to communities across the country.
Led by Gabriel Sitezeu Towen, Director of Civic Technologies at AfroLeadership, the workshop brought together municipal staff, civil society representatives, youth groups and local citizens around a shared goal: making budget information accessible, understandable and useful at the local level.
Discussions centred on the key orientations of the 2026 Finance Law, which sets a total budget of XAF 8,816.4 billion — a 14% increase over 2025. Among the law’s major innovations, participants highlighted the creation of a special fund of XAF 50 billion for the economic empowerment of women and youth employment, alongside increased allocations for education, health and decentralisation.
Beyond presenting the figures, the workshop emphasised concrete mechanisms for citizen oversight of local public policies, and the shared responsibility of both municipal authorities and communities in ensuring sound budget execution.
The youth of Bikok made their voices heard. At the close of the workshop, they put forward several concrete recommendations: leveraging social media for a broader and better-targeted digital awareness campaign; using accessible channels such as SMS to communicate annually on the State budget and deliver the Citizen Budget download link directly to the public; and expanding the caravan to reach a greater number of communes and the widest possible citizen audience. These proposals reflect a generation that is connected and determined to make budget information a common good, accessible to all.
Beyond presenting the figures, the workshop emphasised concrete mechanisms for citizen oversight of local public policies, and the Law on the Code of Transparency and Good Governance, which requires local governments to establish mechanisms for disseminating budget information (Local Citizen Budget) and to involve civil society in its dissemination.
The caravan will continue in the coming days to Bana (West), Lagdo (North), Garoua-Boulaï and Mandjou (East).
AfroLeadership thanks the Bikok municipal authority for its hospitality and reaffirms its commitment, alongside the Ministry of Finance and the Directorate General of the Budget, to building a lasting citizen budget culture within Cameroon’s decentralised territorial communities.
For more information, click the following link to download the 2026 Citizen Budget