Road Construction, Maintenance : Making Councils Effective Actors

Government is seeking ways to enable Regional and Local Authorities, specifically local councils for now to effectively exercise the powers transferred by the State to construct and maintain roads. 
Prime Minister, Head of Government, Joseph Dion Ngute who is Chairman of the National Road Board (CONAROUTE) during the 25th session of the board on March 17, 2022 gave directives and prescriptions on how to make the councils effectively construct and maintain roads. The CONAROUTE session indeed, essentially focused on the exercise the powers as its main theme was, “Decentralisation of road maintenance and urban roads in Cameroon.” The Minister of Decentralisation and Local Development, Georges Elanga Obam of the supervisory Ministry of  Regional and Local Authorities made a presentation on the topic  the general situation of  powers and resources transferred  to Councils  for road works, rehabilitation, maintenance of urban roads in Cameroon,  difficulties encountered and perspective solutions.
Speaking to the press after the board meeting, Minister Elanga Obam said the Prime Minister instructed that Ministers and heads of other State structures concerned with the transfer of road construction and maintenance powers to councils should meet, work together and ensure the proper implementation of the said powers. During their meetings, they have to study the difficulties and propose solutions that would be submitted for the arbitration of the Head of Government. Minister Elanga Obam also disclosed that the Prime Minister instructed the Minister of Finance to see what can be done so that the budgetary allocation to councils for road construction and maintenance should be increased.
As to the situation of the transfer of road construction and maintenance powers and resources to the councils, Minister Elanga Obam said it was effective from the judicial perspective considering the number of related decrees the Prime Minister signed between 2011 and 2012 and reference documents with the details of the technical modalit...