Positive balance sheet at the Senate

Deliberations wrapped up in Yaounde on Friday April 8, 2016 with a plenary sitting chaired by Senate President, Marcel Niat Njifenji.

The First Ordinary Session of Parliament for the 2016 Legislative year is now history.

Deliberations were closed last Friday April 8, 2016, in Yaounde during a plenary sitting chaired by the Senate President, Marcel Niat Njifenji, in the presence of the Speaker of the National Assembly, Cavaye Yeguie Djibril, Prime Minister, Head of Government, Philemon Yang, the President of the Supreme Court, Daniel Sone Mekobe, cabinet ministers and members of the diplomatic corps.

Speaking during the plenary, Marcel Niat Njifenji presented the balance sheet of the 30-day long session recalling that six laws were adopted which he said will contribute to improving the living standards of the people and the economic environment.

He mentioned the law on tourist and leisure activities, the law governing economic zones, the law regulating external trade as well as that to authorise the President of the Republic to ratify the Agreement on Trade Facilitation concluded under the aegis of World Trade Organisation (WTO).

These laws, he added, will stimulate economic growth and create jobs if well implemented. The Senate President thus exhorted government and economic operators to make maximum use of legal instruments so as to meet up with government objective of emergence.

Apart from the adoption of laws and oral questions to cabinet ministers, the Senate President equally reviewed extra-parliamentary activities carried out during the session such as training seminars, diplomatic actions notably the audiences he granted to the visiting Kuwaiti Parliamentary Delegation and the Regional Delegation of the International Red Cross amongst others.

These activities, he stated, offers the platform for experience sharing on issues concerning development, gender, climate change, refugee crisis as well as the fight against terrorism.

While urging Senators to intensify contacts with the local populations in order to better understand their preoccupations and expectations from the public authorities, Marcel Niat Njifenji called on the population to be vigilant as they support the defence forces in the fight against the barbaric sect, Boko Haram in order to guarantee peace and security in the country.

He hailed the defence and security forces for successes recorded in the war against the terrorist group.

The session was crowned with the decoration of Senator Djakaou Julienne from the Far North Region with a medal of National Order of Valour.