Some 30 women’s groups march past at the Buea ceremonial ground in Clerks’ Quarters yesterday to mark this year’s international day of the woman.

The various groups carried placards calling for equality between men and women and inviting women to be more active in public life. For three hours running after Governor Okalia Bilai and wife Nicole arrived at the ceremonial ground, songs, dances, displays ending up in group march past in splendid women’s day attire marked the day.

Some five musical bands animated the day in Buea including that of ENAP, BGS Molyko and the Military. Opening the day, Governor Okalia Bilai addressed the women of the South West Region calling on them to send their children back to school so that the girls among them can gain their rightful place in society and exercise leadership roles tomorrow.

The Governor called on men to act side by side with women so that the theme of this year’s celebration can fully materialize namely; « Women in a changing world of work: Planet 50-50 by 2030 ». The women’s groups in their turns carried placards urging women of age 20 to register massively in voters list so as to have the chance of exercising their voting rights when the time comes.

The march past was led by the Governor’s wife Nicole Okalia, followed by the Vice Chancellor of Buea University, Prof. Nalova Nyonga and many other women of the forces of law and order, theme bearers, women of the judiciary, wives of administrative command staff, solidarity women, professional groups, NGOs, cooperatives, socio-cultural groups, religious and political groups.

Particularly, the women called for equal rights of succession and land ownership. The South West Regional Delegate of Women Empowerment and the Family, Judith Moffah, recalled that the women’s day was conceived since 1997 to better the condition of the woman who is still at 92% in the informal sector. She called on men to get involved in the campaign of the « He for she ».