National Development Strategy : The New Compass

The Head of State, President Paul Biya in his New Year message to the nation on December 31, 2020 stated that Cameroon’s economy has maintained a certain capacity to rebound despite difficulties. The new compass for the rebound and recovery, he said is the National Development Strategy (NDS) that replaces the Growth and Employment Strategy Paper (GESP) that ran from 2010 to 2019.
According to President Biya, the National Development Strategy defines the main thrusts of the country’s planning up to 2030. The document draws lessons of the Growth and Employment Strategy Paper and sets new goals for period 2020 to 2030 with focus on structural transformation of the economy and inclusive development. Indeed, the National Development Strategy is the second phase of the 2035 vision.  Government in Vision 2035 intends to achieve close to double-digit economic growth rate, reach the 25 per cent threshold as the share of manufacturing production in GDP and to reduce significantly poverty by reducing its incidence to less than 10 per cent and consolidate the democratic process and strengthen national unity while respecting the country’s diversity. In order to maintain the course of emergence by 2035, “the National Development Strategy aims to carry out structural transformation of the economy by making fundamental changes in economic and social structures in order to promote endogenous, inclusive development while preserving opportunities for future generations,” government states in the document. 
The objectives of the National Development Strategy are to : establish conditions favourable to economic growth and accumulation of national wealth and ensure that the structural changes indispensable  for the industrialisation of the country are achieved;  improve on the living conditions of the population and their access to basic social services by ensuring significant reduction and unemployment.” Government further indicates that, the strategy sets out to “strengthen climate change adaptation and mitigate the effects of climate change and ensure environmental management that assures susta...