Hundred Days to Curb Fraud by 50 Per cent on Weighing Stations

This is through a rapid results initiative programme launched in Yaounde last Thursday November 29, 2012.

The Ministry of Public Works in partnership with the National Anti Corruption Commission (CONAC) have flagged off a programme to reduce in 100 days by at least 50 per cent all the anomalies on weighing stations that do not only deprive the State of huge sums of scarce CFA francs but equally deteriorates the national road network.

The programme, code-named, "Rapid Results Initiation" launched in Yaounde last Thursday November 29 by the Secretary of State in the Ministry of Public Works, Hans Nyetam Nyetam, is in line with government's Change Habit Oppose Corruption (CHOC) project, which crusades against bad habits that have kept the country's socio-economic development at infancy.

Speaking during the launching which also coincided with the training of stakeholders on how to attain optimum results with the programme, the Secretary of State said the ministry frequently receives complaints of abuses on the highway. "We want in 100 days to reduce by at least 50 per cent the poor behaviour in weighing stations on our highway. The first evaluation will take place in January 2013," Mr Nyetam Nyetam said.

Quizzed on how the programme is going to function and the prospects of it attaining desired goals, Marius Talla, National Expert of CHOC project, said the rapid results initiative is a process and it requires stakeholders to first of all have an idea of what is happening on the field. "This means that we need to first of all have set objectives, put the main benchmarks in place and then an activity plan with which we will work.

After the launch, we are starting off with advocacy to ensure that all the weighing stations have the minimum materials to start working after which we will see how we can improve the coordination between all the services involved in the process. Reducing pressure on those working in the weighing stations is also envisaged.

The first activity of the programme is to identify all the stakeholders and to assign specific tasks to each actor," he said. The Ministry of Public Works and its partners in road maintenance like the syndicate of transporters, private sector working with the ministry as well as forces of law and order, Marius Talla noted must look towards a particular direction to make the growing anomalies on weighing stations a thing of the past.