In Cameroon, it is not uncommon to hear cases of top government officials as well as local government managers being arrested and detained for misappropriation of public funds.
This phenomenon has pushed government officials to embark on training so that those dealing with public finances will learn how to better manage public funds and avoid being caught in corruption charges.
It is against this backdrop, that a one-day workshop was organised in Bamenda, last Friday June 20, 2014 to train treasury officials and mayors as well as municipal treasurers on the techniques of better management of public funds so as to promote good governance.
According to the head of mission, Kendem John Forguab, Sub-director of treasury planning in the Ministry of Finance, the main objective is to ensure that the newly appointed and elected councillors and treasury staff get abreast with the new dispensation on how to manage State funds.
He said before the seminar, they had received various reports on the lack of collaboration between the mayors and their municipal treasurers, hence the need for the training to put an end to such an unhealthy scenario which will only lead to the non-development of their municipalities.
Kendem John Forguab said better cash management is the key in every development effort as such people placed to manage such finances must be well-skilled to avoid cases of mismanagement of public funds.
The representative of the Governor, Makoge Ivo Charles, called on the participants to put knowledge gained in practice as the law is there to punish any person involved in mismanagement of public funds.
He said the government is out to ensure development of all communities as such public funds must be well managed to ensure this comes true.
He said the seminar will go a long way to prevent delays in payment at the level of the treasury as the treasury officials will acquire new skills on how to promptly and effectively treat payment files.
