Governors request greater monitoring role

They ended their 2014 first semester conference in Yaounde over the weekend.

Rising from their three-day first semester caucus in Yaounde on Friday September 19, 2014, Cameroon’s 10 Regional Governors urged government to allocate more resources to enable them properly monitor the implementation of major infrastructure projects in their areas.

In a report of the proceedings read by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Territorial Administration, Pierre Essomba, Governors also asked for the effective involvement of stakeholders in the execution of State-funded water projects.

They requested more training for police in tackling drug traffickers and managing refugees, and the inclusion of intelligence training for students of administration in the School of Administration and Magistracy, ENAM.

They were also of the opinion that greater security needed to be provided for the country’s vital statistics, given the presence of over 267,000 foreign refugees. Similarly, they called for the re-allocation of funds for preventive intelligence gathering.

The Minister of Territorial Administration and Decentralisation, René Emmanuel Sadi, called on Governors to ensure the execution of major infrastructure projects by helping to lift hitches in the disbursement of public funds.

He recalled that the major issues discussed at the meeting included refugees, Boko Haram insurgency, cholera, polio, floods in the North Region, Ebola, major infrastructure projects and their level of implementation.

He said Cameroon’s security and health challenges were under control as security forces have kept Boko Haram attacks in check while an appropriate response has been given to the Ebola threat and other emergent diseases.

The Minister urged the Governors to maintain the momentum, especially against Ebola. He noted that peace and security were needed for the execution of major infrastructure projects, adding that government was looking at ways of once more providing funding for preventive intelligence gathering by Regional Governors.

Minister Sadi also noted that the management of frontier zones and refugees demanded deeper thought and the development of a national policy, which government was seriously considering.

René Emmanuel Sadi encouraged Governors to handle chieftaincy matters with utmost caution by filling current vacancies, resolving succession conflicts and facilitating the payment of monthly allowances to traditional rulers.

He requested the regional chief executives to offer support to council officials and ensure the effective presence of Mayors in their council areas as well as checking foreign trips by them. Similarly, he said all must be done to ensure that the National Civic Service Agency for Participation in Development takes roots in all regions.

The closing ceremony also saw the decoration of four officials of the Ministry of Territorial Administration, including Governor Beti Assomo of the Littoral Region, who received the Grand Officer of the Order of Valour medal.