These proposals are contained in the end-of-year and New Year message to the nation by the National President of the Social Democratic Front, Joshua Osih.

The SDF leader’s year-end speech tells of the precarious situation in which Cameroonian citizens live. He paints a picture of injustice in education, the economy, the security crisis in the North West and South West regions, social security, the issuing of birth certificates and access to land.

In 2024, says Joshua Osih, the people have shown remarkable strength in the face of hardship. After 42 years of the presidency of Paul Biya and his regime, “we must transform ourselves (…) The wind that blows today is not just a wind of challenge. It is a wind of change. To achieve this, the SDF proposes solutions to the problems facing Cameroonians.

First, to address the challenges of education, especially in the priority education zone, the party plans to implement a family grant programme to ensure equal access to education. The party also proposes digital schools as a practical solution to make education more accessible and affordable for all families.

Secondly, the SDF believes it can provide a solution to the difficulties faced by the eight million children without birth certificates in the eastern region. ‘The party intends to make the issuance of birth certificates an obligation of the government, rather than a burden for families in difficulty. As for the delay in issuing national identity cards, which affects some 12 million Cameroonians, the SDF proposes a different solution. We will take the issuing of identity cards to every town hall and break down the walls that divide our society,’ says Joshua Osih.

In the same vein, the party wants to put an end to the injustice of access to land, which is characterised by the abusive expropriation of land from communities and the inability of individuals to access it. In addition, the party proposes a public service that serves the user, where salaries are fair. This fairness applies not only to civil servants, but also to farmers, shopkeepers and the self-employed.

Finally, for 2025, Joshua Osih and his militants are not indifferent to the failure of leadership that has led to 700,000 displaced people in the north-west and south-west, disrupted many lives and torn apart the economy. They propose to resolve the crisis through ‘dialogue, justice and concrete action’. The SDF says it is committed to transforming the economy to ‘create opportunities for every Cameroonian to lead a dignified life’. For the MP and party leader, all this amounts to building a movement for change.