23 priority projects await execution in South West

The Ministry of Economy, Planning and Regional Development, MINEPAT, has organized a regional workshop to update priority Public Investment Projects, PIP for 2016-2018 in the South West region.

Speaking during the workshop, the Head of the Mission from Yaounde, Samuel Mekontchou revealed that in the 2014-2016 priority PIP programme, 55 projects were programmed to be executed in Buea and FCFA 33 billion was allocated for the implementation. He said 23 projects were executed and 22 were still ongoing. As of June 2015, the projects were 83.7 percent completed.

The projects to be earmarked are identified by the councils of the region and the public. They are immediate or matured projects ready to be implemented. These are projects like electrification, road infrastructures, water supply, and classrooms among others. The projects will be developed through the bottom-up procedure (going down to start with the problems of the grassroots).

Mr Mekontchou said they are in touch with the administration to ensure the smooth and speedy execution of earmarked projects. The administration was taking measures to remind contractors on the need to fasten their belts for a faster execution of the projects as no payments will be made for uncompleted projects going by the law.

The Divisional Commissions set up have a task to follow up projects that had implementation problems in the 2014-2016 PIP and the reasons for their non-execution. Each Mayor will have to prune projects already executed or which are irrelevant, update projects with incomplete information, produce maturity elements for projects programmed for 2016, add new needs in the municipality in terms of infrastructure to be obtained in the 2016-2018 PIP.

The Divisional Delegate of MINEPAT will ensure that the PIP file is updated by integrating all the aspects raised. Each municipality will bring out five projects ranked in other of priority to be proposed in the 2016 PIP. The projects must be enrolled under either education, health or infrastructure.