Spearheading Development After All!

With 2020 now history, individuals and countries are obviously bracing up to surmount the challenges of the year just gone by and make the current one splendid in all dimensions. Although the Covid-19 pandemic that jeopardised live and livelihoods is still very much around and as scary as before, nations with clearly defined socio-economic development objectives like Cameroon, absolutely need to redouble their efforts to evolve, else they sink. 
Cameroon’s 2035 emergence vision has timelines and failure in attaining any of the objectives when they were meant entails forfeiting the dream with all the effects on the entire chain and the economy earmarked to be the highest beneficiary of the vision. 
In his traditional State-of-the-Nation’s Address on December 31, 2020, President Paul Biya acknowledged that the international context - in particular the Coronavirus pandemic and the decline in global growth took a toll on the performance of the country’s public finance and economy in 2020.  A disturbing situation that pushed government, he said, to take fiscal consolidation and economic support measures in order to stand the difficult times and enable the implementation of a recovery policy in 2021.  
Cognisant of the fact that any purposeful economy sets its foundation on solid infrastructure, President Paul Biya believes Cameroon should be able to weather the Covid-19 storms and spearhead development. This explains why the Head of State announced to fellow compatriots and the rest of the world that, “A decision was taken to finalize African Nations Championship (CHAN) 2021 and Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2022 projects, and to continue to implement plans for the reconstruction and development of the North-West, South-West and Far-North Regions.”
Looking at government’s economic, financial, social and cultural programme for the 2021 financial year presented at the National Assembly on November 25, 2020, wherein security, health and economy recovery are top priority at moment, government must strategise to live up to expectation. In fact, particular attention needs to be paid to the improvement of stadia, roads, hotels, hospitals and general security either through the continuation of construction, rehabilitation or extension works, in the various sites hosting CHAN 2021 and AFCON 2022.
The much cherished return to normalcy in the North West, South West and Far North Regions as expected by the Head of State passes through life-changing projects earmarked for the concerned regions. Their speedy and efficient execution should therefore be an imperative. Only then can the affected and sometimes dejected population feel part of the national ensemble and be able t...