Powers, Resources To Councils : Prevention, Road Safety Introduced

The decentralisation process in Cameroon is being further diversified and deepened with the prevention and road safety component setting in as the Ministry of Transport has within the framework of the 2021 Prevention and Road Safety Programme of the Road Fund transferred FCFA 300 million to 12 qualified councils.  The event of May 27, 2021 falls within the organisation and management of public urban transport whose ultimate objective is to enable the councils effectively participate in the promotion and animation of actions of prevention and road safety.
The effective participation of councils in prevention and road safety ties with government’s action to curb the number of road accidents and its associated consequences. According to the Minister of Transport Jean Ernest Massena Ngalle Bibehe, the global report on road safety in the world indicates that road accidents kill 1.2 million people and result in 50 million wounded each year. Taking the case of weak income countries such as Cameroon, more than 90 per cent of road accidents-related deaths in the past 10 years stand at about 9,100 and financial losses are estimated at FCFA 800 billion.  Considering the case of Cameroon, the global report on accidents indicate a drop. Minister Ngalle Bibehe states that the number of road accidents dropped from 3,525 in 2011 to 1,588 in 2019 and the number of people killed in the road accidents dropped from 1,533 in 2011 to 627 in 2019.
Despite the drop in the number of road accidents in Cameroon, the situation remains preoccupying, hence the welcomed participation of councils in the prevention and road safety programme. The councils that will set the pace include Ngaoundere I, Mbankomo, Nkongsamba, Yabassi, Santa, Sangmelima, Dziguilo, Magba, Mengueme, Dschang and Tiko.  Spec...