The National Community Driven Development Program, PNDP, has embarked on training programme to armed local government officials on how to better developed their areas.

For ten days, the mayors from seven council areas (Ndu, Kumbo, Babessi, Wum, Widikum Boffee and Bafut) divisional delegates of MINEPAT, VSO Volunteers working with councils, members of some local support organization will broadened their skills on improving the living conditions for their communities members.

Opening the training workshop the second assistant SDO for Mezem Mungambo Ekema William Said the workshop was an engagement between the PNDP, Cameroon government and the Funding partners such as the World Bank, C2D, KFW and HIPC-I He said the Funding partners have manifested their interest to develop our communities thus “the responsibility to make it work remains ours” he warned. He cautioned participants to use the knowledge from the seminar to develop their areas appropriately. He added that the government of Cameroon has never relented in its efforts to put in place strategies meant to promote development in local communities thus all the population must put hands on deck to jointly achieve this goal. He congratulated the seven councils involved but was quick to add that the other remaining councils of the region will progressively be involved in the programme.

Meanwhile the Regional Coordinator for PNDP for the North West Sab Syprenne disclose that the training workshop is inline with their programme to build capacities of Local government officials. He revealed that PNDP is one of the structures put in place within the Framework of poverty reduction strategy programme with focus on the development of the rural sector. He said for ten days the participants were to be drilled on the different steps in the councils development plan. He was optimistic that the programme has been designed to meet the needs of the communities. One of the resource persons at the workshop Pascal Kolo said at the end of the workshop each participant will be able to conduct participatory planning process at the level of the council, and to integrate recent changes for planning of priority actions.

The regional Delegate for MINEPAT Kighe-free Mnkwiyayen Abel called on participants to take the workshop seriously and use knowledge acquired judiciously.