Great Local Development Bolster

Many Mayors across Cameroon have acknowledged that their local development locomotive mission is witnessing a leap forward considering the disbursement of the FCFA 100 million to each of the 360 local Councils in the country as provided for in Prime Minister’s decree N° 2019/0826 of 22 February 2019 to set the allocation of the General Decentralisation Grant for 2019 fiscal year.
Prime Minister, Head of Government, Chief Dr Joseph Dion Ngute who also doubles as the Chairman of the National Decentralisation Board fixed the General Decentralisation Grant for 2019 fiscal year at FCFA 49.8 billion. For the first time since the advent of the decentralisation process in Cameroon, the Grant allocated for general investment stood at FCFA 360 billion. Also welcomed is the fact that the money has to go directly to local councils. The money has to be distributed equally to all the 360 local Councils in the country to finance advanced council projects registered in the project log book of the Ministry of Decentralisation and Local Development. Each council as per the decree is allocated FCFA 100 million. The projects financed by the grant are those agreed upon by the beneficial councils, the Ministry in charge of Public Investments and the Ministry in charge of Regional and Local Development.
Seven months after the decree allocating the investment grant to the local councils, results from the field indicate global satisfaction and acceleration of the execution of projects for the general interest and wellbeing of  the population. With the money, some mayors say, they have constructed wards in health structures, bridges, classrooms in schools. Some also say they have electrified villages, dug council roads and provided potable drinking water. The money comes to add to other public projects contained the respective councils development plans and public investment budget intended to raise the living standards of the local population, ensure equitable development and empower the population.
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