Decentralisation and Local Development : NASLA Now Takes Flesh

Ten members of the Board of Directors, Mr. Mouthar Ousmane (Chairman), Mr. Tanyitiku Enohachuo Bayee (Director General) and Mrs. Ongolo Nyanguinda Lidwine (Deputy Director General) of the new National School of Local Administration (NASLA) have been officially commissioned to their functions. It is a pioneer team to manage the new NASLA created last 2 March, 2020, by decree of Head of State and President of the Republic, Paul Biya. 
The NASLA replaces the former CEFAM. Given the importance of the installation event, Georges Elanga Obam, Minister of Decentralisation and Local Development (MINDDEVEL), made the journey from the State capital, Yaounde, to personally install the team to office in Buea, seat of the School on 18 September, 2020. 
The Minister recalled that NASLA was the upshot of the 30 September-4 October, 2020 major national dialogue called in Yaounde by the Head of State, President Paul Biya, to resolve the current sociopolitical questions facing the Cameroon nation. Its key role in providing qualified manpower for local governance in the decentralisation drive was emphasized by the MINDDEVEL who justified the need by giving statistics that “more than 70 percent of the workers in local councils have qualifications below standards”. Worse, he stated that 80 percent of the staff in Cameroons 374 local government councils (360 municipal and 14 city councils), are temporary and seasonal workers, a situation that reduces the responsibilities of personnel in local governance. This is apart from the Regional Councils that shall be voted next 6 December, 2020. The Minister implied that local authorities were not well equipped with the technical competences needed in the management of the powers devolved to them.&nb...