Local Development : Decentralised Cooperation Offers Opportunities

The Ambassador of France to Cameroon, Christophe Guilhou last week had separate discussions with the Mayors of the Yaounde City Council and Yaounde III Subdivisional Councils during which they exchanged on cooperation between Cameroon and France in general and used the occasion to explore decentralised cooperation opportunities. Talking to the press after discussions with the Mayor of Yaounde 111, Lucas Owona on May 25, 2021, the French Ambassador said he came to better understand the challenges the population face in order to define their demands and possible offers in France with councils and City Council of the same size.
With this, the need for twinning between Cameroonian and foreign local authorities is highlighted.  This comes at the time executives of City, Subdivisional and Local Councils are on the second year of their term of office following the municipal council election of February 2020.  The idea of decentralised cooperation is not new as some Cameroonian councils had already been twinned with other foreign councils. Examples are Dschang in Cameroon and Nantes in France and Yaounde VI and Erstein. 
The legislator in Law No. 2019/024 of 24 December 2019 to Institute the General Code of Regional and Local Authorities states the importance and also strengthens decentralised cooperation. Section 94 (1) of the law states that, “Decentralised cooperation shall mean any partnership between two or more local authorities or their groupings established for purpose of achieving common objectives. It may be carried out between Cameroonian local authorities or between the latter and foreign local authorities under the terms and conditions laid down by the laws and regulations in force and in accordance with the international commitments of the State.” Section 95 further states that, “Local authorities may join cities or regions twinning international organisations or other international organisations of cities or region.”
As regions and local authorities effectively take off, their executives have to take advantage of the opportunities offe...