Dialogue as Democracy in Action: NewSETA Brings State and Civil Society to the Same Table in Yaoundé

At a time when questions around civic space, governance, and democratic participation dominate national conversations, the 2025 edition of the Civil Society–State Dialogue offered a rare and timely platform for reflection, engagement, and consensus-building in Cameroon. Organized by the Network for Solidarity, Empowerment and Transformation for All (NewSETA), the dialogue held in Yaoundé convened over 60 participants drawn from civil society organizations, media houses, Parliament, and key government ministries.

Now in its second edition, the CSO–State Dialogue is designed to strengthen collaboration between civil society actors and State institutions, moving beyond suspicion and competition toward partnership and complementarity. Participants included representatives of the Ministry of Territorial Administration (MINAT), the Ministry of External Relations (MINREX), lawmakers, journalists, and governance experts.

Derick Ndzi, Executive Director of NewSETA

Opening the dialogue, NewSETA’s Executive Director, Derick Ndzi, set a clear tone: development, he argued, cannot thrive in isolation. “Partnership begins with dialogue,” he said, emphasizing that solutions to Cameroon’s governance challenges must be rooted in honest, evidence-based, and respectful engagement. He noted that NewSETA’s work is grounded in research, citing national surveys conducted on freedoms of expression, assembly, association, and access to information.

“These studies revealed that relations between civil society and the State are often cooperative rather than collaborative,” Ndzi observed. “That is a gap we believe multi-stakeholder dialogue can begin to address.”

A major highlight of the dialogue was the focus on access to information and civic freedoms, especially in post-election contexts where restrictions tend to intensify. NewSETA’s advocacy around a proposed Freedom of Information Act, developed in collaboration with members of Parliament, was presented as a practical example of how civil society can contribute constructively to policy reform.

Governance expert Dr. Sakay Bernard, who delivered a keynote reflection, challenged participants to rethink the dynamics between the State and civil society. He underscored that no government can succeed in democratic governance without an active civil society, just as civil society cannot thrive without State engagement. “Dialogue is not about blame,” he noted, “but about building trust, clarifying roles, and aligning efforts for the common good.”

Discussions also examined regulatory frameworks, funding challenges, and the need for greater inclusion of women and youth—groups disproportionately affected by conflict and economic hardship. Participants acknowledged existing areas of cooperation while candidly addressing systemic barriers, including over-centralization, implementation gaps in laws, and tensions arising from political contexts.

Panel discussion

Funded by the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), a long-standing partner of NewSETA since 2015, the dialogue reaffirmed the importance of sustained support for civic initiatives that promote transparency, accountability, and inclusive governance.

As the session concluded, one message resonated strongly: democracy is not built through confrontation or isolation, but through continuous dialogue and shared responsibility. By bringing State actors and civil society into the same room, the CSO–State Dialogue once again demonstrated that meaningful engagement remains one of Cameroon’s most powerful tools for building a peaceful, stable, and prosperous future.