The Inter-ministerial Committee on Local Services, the oversight body that ensures the effective transfer of power and corresponding resources from the central government to local councils, yesterday, September 21, 2011 at the Yaounde City Council Hall brainstormed on the powers to be transferred in 2012. Their proposals will be presented to the National Decentralisation Council, chaired by the Prime Minister, Head of Government for scrutiny and adoption. The Council will forward the recommendations to the Head of State to include in the 2012 State budget.
The chairman of the committee, Minister of State, Minister of Territorial Administration and Decentralisation, Marafa Hamidou Yaya, presided at the one-day second ordinary session of the committee. Mr Marafa in the opening speech said the objective of the session was to deepen reflection on the comprehensive programme to ensure that all powers are transferred by 2015. By the end of the session, members of the committee were expected to propose ways and means of ensuring complete power devolution. He said the session was holding on the eve of meetings for preparing the 2012 budget. Committee members therefore had to make proposals that will lead to substantial increase in the powers and resources to be devolved to councils in 2012 in order to boost local development.
After the opening ceremony, work continued behind closed doors. Committee members were scheduled to listen to a report of the first session for 2011 held on April 6, 2011, as well as a presentation from the Ministry of Finance on the portion of the state resources to allocate to the Common Decentralisation Fund in the 2012 budget. They were also to be presented the annual report on decentralisation and the functioning of local services and more importantly, the programme for the transfer of powers and resources in the 2012 financial year.
Cameroon started the effective transfer of powers and resources from the central government to the country’s 360 local and 14 city councils in January 2010. Nine ministries were concerned with the first set of transfers. This year, 14 ministries are involved in the effective devolution of powers and resources. The Inter-ministerial Committee on Local Services in their proposals certainly stated better ways of ensuring effective decentralisation, drawing inspiration from the two-year experience.
