Cameroon-EU Cooperation: FCFA 63 Billion To Boost Agric Sector

The grant will principally be used to increase access to seeds and agro-pastoral services as well as disenclave production basins.

In line with Cameroon-European Union (EU) ties, the EU has accorded to Cameroon a grant of 96 million euro, approximately FCFA 63 billion. A financing agreement to that effect was signed last Thursday November 9, 2017 in Yaounde.

While Hans-Peter Schadek, Ambassador and Head of European Union Delegation to Cameroon signed for the political and economic union, Louis Paul Motaze, Cameroon’s Minister of Economy, Planning and Regional Development signed for the country.

The financing is intended to support reforms initiated by the government, particularly to meet the challenges of boosting agricultural productivity and the effectiveness of public action in the area of public finances. It comes as the first Sector Reform Contract, relating to the implementation of the National Indicative Programme (NIP) of the 11th European Development Fund for Cameroon.

We learned the recent grant will essentially be used to put in place a system to ease access to major seeds and other inputs as well as agro-pastoral services. Again, it will cover cost of disenclaving numerous production basins in the country and ameliorate the management of financial resources allocated to the sector. The grant which will be disbursed as fixed and variable instalments will run from 2017 to 2019.

According to Louis Paul Motaze, “the government of Cameroon expressed the wish in 2016 to move away from the project approach to the budge...