The disclosure was made during a debate-conference in Douala on April 12.

Ineffectiveness of local council managers has been imputed for the ineffectiveness of decentralisation at municipal levels. The remark was made by experts in decentralisation during a debate-conference by the Junior Chamber International (JCI) Douala La Reference in Bépanda Thursday, April 12.

The debate-conference, which held under the theme “The contribution of the young entrepreneur in the execution of decentralisation in Cameroon”, was opportunity for the young people of JCI Douala La Reference to ask questions for informed opinions on how they can involve in the process of getting decentralisation on its rails in their respective localities.

Panelled by a team of informed opinion leaders, politicians, mayors, journalists, consultants, former JCI World President and an expert from MINATD, the participants who were essentially young people left satisfied with views of their place in the carrying out of decentralisation in the country, according to most of them.

The panellists were unanimous that although council managers need to go beyond their present mastery of community development, youths nevertheless have a great role to play. The Douala I Subdivisional Council, for instance, was said to have constantly lost FCFA 74 million as annual taxes received from PMUC since a few years back. Yet PMUC Kiosks continues to proliferate the council area. A situation an expert blamed on lack of sufficient, creative managerial skills.

Other examples like council budgets, it was said, continue to swell beyond logical expectation. In Douala, for instance, a council budgeted at least 2,000 billion for 2012 saying it was in a bid to catch up with uncompleted projects whereas the problem lies with inability to set up creative, cost-effective projects for the municipality. The blame: very few of the projects pass through the scanner of expert project designers, reviewers, consultants and managers. Donors refused funding such projects. A case was drawn of some council setting up projects without consulting community members; execute projects untailored to the actual needs of beneficiary community and projects especially presenting exorbitant cost estimates which compelled donors to refuse funding them.

Calixte Yepseu Mbakop, current JCI Douala La Reference President, who set the tune of the debate-conference, moderated by Rollin Foko, Business Plan specialist, urged the youths to overlook these hurdles and go into developing their communities.