Local, Regional Authorities : Alignment Hurdles To Programme Budget

Following the joint circular-letter No. 00007992/CL/MINFI/MINDDEVEL of 06 October 2022 relating to the preparation of the budgets of Regional and Local Authorities for the 2023 fiscal year, there is serious work at the level of Regions and Councils.
The joint circular letter gives the objectives and general orientations of the preparation of the budgets. “Local public action in Cameroon in 2023 will focus on deepening and accelerating the decentralisation process, promoting local development, as well as strengthening local governance,” Ministers Louis Paul Motaze of Finance and Georges Elanga Obam of Decentralisation and Local Development stated in the joint circular letter. As public institutions, local councils and Regions must abide by the programme budget regime applied in all State institutions. Focus here is on the performance and results –oriented budgets. Government’s orientation is on budgets span for a three-year period. The current budget under preparation covers the period 2023-2025. The Minister of Finance Louis Paul Motaze during the July 2022 ordinary session of parliament presented the 2023-2025 Medium-Term Economic and Budgetary Programme documents within the framework of the budget orientation debate.
Even well established Ministries in possession of experts and adapted equipment still face some hurdles to align to the programme budget system. The executives of Local, Subdivisional and City Councils need to first of all appropriate the notion of programme budget. After this, they need the required experts to draw up such budgets and ensure execution.  Sources from the Yaounde City Council talk of the application situation which is not really very difficult. The Council has been coping with it. Challenges come when its concerns adaptation as many staff find...