Programme Budget Taking Shape

From January 1, 2013, reforms undertaken some years ago to streamline the country's income and expenditure are expected to hit the skies. This will be with the full implementation of Programme Budget which will entail a well-outlined presentation of ministerial and sector by sector strategies for financing in view of attaining an acceptable level of development capable of catapulting the economy to emergence.

The Programme Budget Proper

The innovation is contained in Law No. 2007/006 of December 26, 2007 relating to the Fiscal Regime of the State whose Section 79 says, "It will enter into force in its entirety with effect from 1 January 2013, the date of repeal of Ordinance No.62/OF/4 of 04 February 1962." The law clearly spells out the functions; activities addressing the fundamental collective needs of the nation in the different areas of State intervention; Programme: Actions to be implemented and Objective: Results to be achieved. It also defines the Indicator: Qualitative and quantitative variable that helps to measure outcomes in the realisation of objectives.

Growth-induced Budget

Government is aiming and shooting high with the 2013 budget. According to the Presidential circular on the preparation of the budget, everything is on the side of government to continually improve the country's annual growth rate. The global economic and monetary crises still linger on, yes, but Cameroon has cushioned the effects and could hit a 6 per cent growth rate in 2013. Granted, this would be a leap from the envisaged 5.5 per cent of 2012 and a slightly over 4 per cent in 2011.

Indications

Already engaged giant projects like 216 MW Kribi Gas Fired Plant project expected to yield fruit by the end of the ongoing year, the 201 MW Memve'ele, 30 MW Lom-Pangar and 15 MW Mekin hydroelectric projects are good steps in the right direction. The Head of State has also prescribed seriousness in other giant projects like the agricultural revolution through the second-generation agriculture policy which involves mechanisation, rejuvenation of the agricultural population as well as the use of high-yielding seeds. The imminent effective functioning of the farmer's bank and that for small and medium-size enterprises and industries would engender the sectors to conveniently play their pivotal roles in developing the economy. All of these could be brought down to naught if development-unfriendly ills persist. But the Presidential circular in unequivocal terms solicits all and sundry to make corruption and embezzlement ills of the past.

Populations' Living Conditions

Cameroonians can hope for change with the budget. The full implementation of the result-based management budget with focus on attaining growth objectives contained in the Growth and Employment Strategy Paper are geared towards relieving the population of hardship. Boosting local production and processing of especially food items through which incessant importation could be minimised, generating energy, especially with alternative energy supply mechanisms in view and in so doing improving the perennial trade imbalance, could constitute reliable channels on which the 2035 growth vision could lay.

Administrative Gear Up

Prior to the innovative budget, government has been multiplying strategies to get all vote holders on board the envisaged changes. Seminars and workshops have been multiplied to drill stakeholders on the ins and outs of the budget so that all hands be put on deck for its full implementation come January 1, 2013. For example, on February 9, 2012, the Prime Minister chaired a ministerial seminar which enabled Members of Government to fully get abreast with the Programme Budget which is central to the reform of the State budget management process as well as catalyst to the effective implementation of the objectives of the Growth and Employment Strategy Paper (GESP) and by extension, the "Major Accomplishment" targets. After the just-ended June Ordinary session of the National Assembly, Parliamentarians also took some time off to master the techniques of the budget so as to play the watchdog role when it goes fully operational.