It is expected to serve as a benchmark for governance in Cameroon. The United Nations Development Progarmme, UNDP and the UN Economic Commission for Central Africa, ECCA on Wednesday January 26 at Yaounde’s Djeuga Palace Hotel launched the process for the drafting of the Cameroon Country Report as part of the Governance Report on Africa, GRA III for 2011. Entitled, “Elections and Management of Diversity in Africa,” the report is to be drafted on behalf of the UN agencies by the Study Centre for Research in Economics and Management, CEREG of the University of Yaounde II, Soa.

According to the UNDP Officer in charge of Governance and Crises, Dr Emini Zephirin, the report would help in evaluating the performance of different institutions and partners in governance as well as demonstrating in a scientific manner, what the public thinks of governance in the country. “The Country Report should finally enable stakeholders better analyze Cameroon’s diverse make up for the promotion of good governance, transparent elections and peaceful political transition in such a multi-cultural society,” Dr Emini explained.

To the UN-ECCA Regional Counsellor for Post conflict Management and Governance, Amy Touré, good governance is the pillar of any state. She said the role of governance in all its facets and different levels is to lay emphasis on the human being’s ability to make their voice heard at every time. She however concluded that the challenges of improving governance in any nation were enormous and complex, therefore demanding visionary leadership, efficient institutions and continuous capacity building. “Without good governance …, policies and economic and social reforms are bound to fail,” Amy Touré cautioned, adding that low economic growth rates, lateness in meeting UN Millennium Development Goals and the general slow rate of development on the continent, could be attributed to bad governance.

On the whole, African countries have over the years continued to make advances in opening up to political competition, Dr Emini Zephirin acknowledged. He however cautioned that the situation was not yet ideal as much still had to be done.

Explaining the content of the would-be report, the Director of CEREG, Dr Ngoa Tabi Henri said it will be written by a selected group of experts who will try to retrace most important aspects of Cameroon’s pre and post colonial diverse make up and the advances made.