The National Decentralisation Council on thursday December 30, 2010 discussed practical modalities of making the 2011 devolution of powers to councils more successful. Prime Minister, Head of Government, Philemon Yang while chairing the National Decentralisation Council second ordinary session for 2010 thursday, December 30, 2010 disclosed that the government will disburse FCFA 92.28 billion in 2011 to foster the irreversible decentralisation process in the country.

In an opening speech during the Council session held behind close doors, Mr Yang said the 14 ministries involved in the second generation of the devolution of powers and resources will transfer FCFA 18.28 billion to City, Subdivision and Local Councils for various projects. The government, he said, has budgeted FCFA seven billion for the Common Decentralisation Fund. Dues from taxes and duties will either partially or totally be transferred to councils amounting to FCFA 67 billion, the Chairman of the National Decentralisation Council stated.

Members of the National Decentralisation Council, a body set up to monitor and assess the decentralisation process, during this December session, planned ways of making the second generation of transfer of powers and resources to councils more successful in 2011. Nine ministries were involved in the transfer of powers and accompanying resources to councils in 2011. The Ministries of Trade, Urban Development and Housing, Tourism and the Small and Medium-sized Enterprises, Social Economy and Handicraft have added in 2011.

The members of the Council examined draft texts the Minister of State for Territorial Administration and Decentralisation, who is Chairperson of the Inter-ministerial Committee on Local Services, Marafa Hamidou Yaya presented. The texts, the Prime Minister said were regulatory instruments fixing the modalities of the transfer of powers and resources in specific domains in 2011. The texts concern handicraft; urban planning, creation and maintenance of township, earth roots; development and exploitation of tourism sites for local interest; health and management of training centres. Other draft regulatory texts include the charter on external services, modalities of cooperation between the external services of the State and local governments. The availability of the texts will provide councils with material and human resources necessary to effectively manage the transferred powers.

Government in 2010 budgeted FCFA 50.266 billion to start the effective transfer of powers to councils. The Prime Minister instructed that corrections be made on the mistakes of 2010 for the decentralisation process to attain its cherished local development goal in 2011.