Cameroon - Local Governance: Government Begins Pilot Phase Of Decentralization, Doles Out FCFA 4.8 Billion To Lagdo Council

Par Atia T. AZOHNWI | Cameroon-Info.Net
YAOUNDE - 23-Jun-2019 - 13h54   3514                      
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Minister Ousmane Mey (right) & Lagdo Mayor, Mama Abakai Archives
Following President Paul Biya's instructions for government to speedup the decentralisation process, the pilot phase of the people-centred local governance begins in the Lagdo Council, Benue Division of Cameroon's North Region.

Lagdo Council in Benue Division of the North region is the first council in the country to experiment the pilot phase of decentralization process following government’s grant of FCFA 4.8 billion.

The papers for the transfer of the FCFA 4.8 billion grant were signed June 18, 2019 at the Yaounde Hilton Hotel during the first session of roundtable conference of central administrations and partners of the state-council planning contract chaired by Alamine Ousmane Mey, Minister of Economy, Planning and Regional Development in the presence of Ibrahim Talba Malla, Minister Delegate at the Presidency of the Republic in charge of Public Contracts, and Philippe Camille Akoa, Director General of the Local Council Support Fund, FEICOM.

Of the sum given to the Lagdo Council, FEICOM coughed out FCFA 240 million.

16 communities in Lagdo Subdivision will be electrified to the tune of over FCFA 1 billion while a huge chunk of the grant will go to beef up the infrastructure backbone of the municipality.

Communal Development Plans sponsored by the community driven development project, PNDP are central to the allocation of grants for local development.

Cameroon is a unitary-decentralised state according to the 1996 constitution,  but it took eight years for law No 2004/018 of July 22, 2004 on decentralization to see the light of day.

The decentralisation process has since remained in the books and on the lips of ruling party songbirds.

Economy Minister Alamine Ousmane Mey expressed the joy of the Biya government as decentralisation is gradually taking shape.

His words: “It is a privilege today to witness the signing of this financing convention to the benefit of Lagdo Council. This is a new development to implement policies from the government since the adoption of our Constitution in 1996 followed by different legislations in line with the decentralization process, in line with the transfer of competences and resources to these councils.

"Today, we have a new instrument which will help specifically the Lagdo Council to electrify 16 localities and to also rehabilitate roads etc. This move falls in line with government’s efforts geared towards the acceleration of decentralization starting with the pilot phase in Lagdo.

“...with Lagdo, we are setting a new pace for our development for the benefit of our population who are in dying need of change in their living conditions. At the grassroots level, we have the proper instrument for planning, programming and budgeting such that the expected impacts are achieved at the level of the population.”

Auteur:
Atia T. AZOHNWI
 @T_B_D
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