Summary
This document is the result of a field study conducted in ten localities in three regions of Cameroon to look at the place of women—including Indigenous women—in the cocoa sector. It is primarily intended for companies, Cameroonian and European policy makers, and journalists. The initial research took place before confirmation that the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) would be postponed until December 2026. This will undoubtedly have an impact on the cocoa sector in Cameroon.
The study documents a central paradox: without women, the Cameroonian cocoa industry would not function on the same scale or with the same efficiency. Women work the land, maintain the plantations, harvest, shell, process, and organise the workforce. Yet they remain largely invisible in land registries, cooperative governance, commercial contracts, and income distribution.