A one-day workshop to present strategic studies conducted within the framework of the support project for the acceleration and furthering of decentralization and local development in Cameroon took place on April 25, 2023, in Yaounde.
Chaired by the Minister of Decentralization and local development, Georges Elanga Obam alongside Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Programme, Aliou Mamadou DIA, the workshop that took place on Tuesday 25th April 2023 in Yaounde, was aimed at presenting officially the various strategic tools produced to stakeholders in the decentralization process in Cameroon, notably regional and local authorities, technical and financial partners.
During the official opening ceremony, it was indicated that the strategies put in place will provide decentralization actors with working tools that will enable them to improve the financing framework and the financing of local development to ensure better development planning at regional and local levels, taking stock of the 2020-2030 National Development Strategy, NDS.
In his keynote address, Mr. Aliou Mamadou DIA, Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Programme said UNDP is a core partner to governments. And as the main agency of the United Nations that focuses on issues of development, UNDP contributes to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals, SDGs.
According to Mr Aliou Mamadou DIA, this document is a referential tool that will enhance local development as it defines all financial strategies to be carried out in the short, medium and long term.
“In addition to the aforementioned strategic instruments, the project is reliant on other major results. These include the development and validation of the 2021 statistical yearbook and the regional and local authority control and an audit guide, which will allow for the operational monitoring of decentralization and the actions carried out in the territories. The project has also accompanied the process of developing regional development plans for the regions with special status in the North-West and South-West regions…” He added.
On his part, Minister of Decentralization and local development, Georges Elanga Obam while presiding over the workshop, saluted the technical and financial support of the United Nations Development Programme, UNDP.
He emphasized the acceleration of the decentralization process which still faces some bottlenecks. Yet, called on various stakeholders to accompany the project for positive results.
It is worthy to note that, the support project for the acceleration and furthering of decentralization and local development is a 5-year programme (January 2021 to December 2025) that covers 374 rural and urban councils in Cameroon.
The objective of this project is to help the government improve the living conditions of the population at the grassroots level by strengthening the capacities of regional and local authorities for sustainable and inclusive local development.
The project addresses the main challenges identified notably the quality and quantity of human, material and financial resources, the lack of infrastructures, an insufficient supply of and access to basic socio-economic services, the low level; of involvement of the population in the management of local affairs, and the poor coordination of towns.
Elise Kenimbeni
