Only 38% budget execution realised in NW

A few months to the end of the 2014 financial year, the execution rate of the Public Investment Projects, BIP, for the North West Region stand at 38.27 per cent.

This was made known during the quarterly follow up committee meeting that took place in Bamenda recently. During the meeting it also came to the limelight that all contracts have been awarded but some contractors are still dragging their legs.

Another bone of contention was the rehabilitation works on the Bamenda-Mbengwi road which is said to have been poorly executed. To this, committee members called on the control engineers to revisit the work and call the contractor to order.

For the president of the North West Regional Follow up committee, Hon. Cyprian Awudu Mbaya, it was high time all put hands on deck to ensure that all PIB projects for 2014 are properly and effectively executed.

He equally frowned at some of the projects that are being awarded at the central level to almost one contractor who most often does not do the job or execute it poorly. Due to the numerous complaints by contractors of unexplained tax, Hon. Awudu Mbaya called on taxation officers to consider contractors as partners of development and so work to facilitate matters for them.

According to statistics presented by the Regional Delegate of the Ministry of Economy, Planning and Regional Development, MINEPAT, Njeba Kenneth Karawa, out of the FCFA 19.774.959.431 earmarked for the 663 projects allocated for the North West Region this 2014, only FCFA 796.002.269 have been engaged and FCFA 773.902.256 have been effectively paid.

He said 285 projects have been completely executed, 148 projects are ongoing and 231 have not been executed.

All these, he said, give a financial realization rate of 3.91 % and 14.20% physical realization rate. But for projects awarded at the regional level the financial execution rate stands at 10.87% while the physical execution rate stands at 38.27%.

He said most often the projects awarded at the central administration always retard the execution rate of BIP.