Decentralization: PM Yang Gives Directives

chaired the second ordinary session of the National Decentralization Board for the 2016 financial year. In attendance, apart from his close aides, were Members of Government, Members of Parliament, representatives of the Economic and Social Council, representatives of mayors and those of civil society.

 

Four main items featured on the agenda, namely:

  1. The report of activities conducted by the Permanent Secretariat of the National Decentralization Board during the recess, presented by the Permanent Secretariat of the Board;
  2. The presentation of the Minister for Territorial Administration and Decentralization;
  3. The presentation of the Minister of the Finance on “the mobilization of financial resources meant for local and city councils, FEICOM and municipal magistrates”,
  4. The presentation of the Minister for the Economy, Planning and Regional Development on “ the distribution of the National Decentralization Allocation and mechanisms used to select and finance related projects for fiscal year 2017”.

After the opening remarks of the Prime Minister, Head of Government recalling the total transfer of resources by the State, pursuant to the 2004 Law laying down rules applicable to councils, the Permanent Secretariat presented the report of activities of the Permanent Secretariat during the recess. It revealed that activities during this period consisted in the notification and follow-up of instructions of the previous Board session, participation in carrying out certain instructions, contribution to the codification of the decentralization process, as well as support during installation of the computerized system software for the collection of decentralization data.

Next, the Board listened to the presentation of the Minister for Territorial Administration and Decentralization on the disbursement of financial resources allocated to Local Authorities, the salary of municipal magistrates and the drafting of the National Decentralization Strategy.

Due diligence with regard to the salaries of municipal magistrates has already allowed for the validation of 781 of the 1,305 expected files.

 Furthermore the draft National Decentralization Strategy being finalized will serve as a compass for the Government to optimally steer the decentralization process.

The presentation of the Minister for Finance highlighted the progress made in mobilizing and disbursing financial resources meant for local and city councils, FEICOM and municipal magistrates. Thus, a global sum of CFAF 210.2 billion has already been committees for 2016, including 105. 2 billion for local and city councils and 105 billion earmarked for FEICOM being local tax proceeds subject to equalization. Concerning specifically financial resources meant for municipal magistrates, the Minister for Finance indicated that CFAF 3 billion is being committed for FEICOM for payment.

To conclude, he announced a set of measures aimed at optimizing in 2017 the mobilization of resources dedicates to local and city councils, FEICOM and municipal magistrates. These include stepping up the collection of land tax and dematerialization of transfer operations to shorten the time frame for centralizing and paying in local authorities’ resources.

For his part, the Minister for Economy, Planning and Regional Development briefed the Board on mechanisms for selecting councils to be financed by the General Decentralization Allocation for 2017. After stressing that transferred investment resources have increased significantly over the last three years, despite smaller internal State resources allocated to investments, he pointed out that projects to be financed by the General Decentralization Allocation come mainly from the priority investment programme designed based on council Development Plans, themselves being emanations of the development-related concerns of the grassroots populations.

At the end of proceedings, and after noting the due diligence in the proper conduct of the decentralization process in our country the Prime Minister, Head of Government asked:

  1. The Minister of Territorial Administration and Decentralization to:
  • Finalize by 30 January 2017 model agreements on the use of State human resources by municipalities, to enable them optimally exercise the powers transferred to them, pending finalization of the related legal framework;
  • Submit to his office before the end of the first quarter 2017, the annual reports for 2015 and 2016 on the state of decentralization and the functioning of local services;
  • Submit at the earliest convenience the draft National Decentralization Strategy for the consideration of the National Decentralisation Board.
  1. The Minister for Finance to:
  • Submit to his office by 30 January 2017 the conclusions of the ongoing study to change from a logic of delegation of votes to councils to one of subsidy allocations as from 2017;
  • Take all necessary measures for payment of municipal magistrates’ remuneration to effectively start from the first quarter of 2017;
  • Expedite procedures jointly with the Minister for the Economy, Planning and Regional Development, and take all measures to facilitate the disbursement of State budget appropriations meant for councils and FEICOM in strict compliance with the principle of the annual nature of the budget;
  1. The Minister for Public Works, to submit to him by 30 January 2017 an update on the transfer of resources necessary for councils to exercise the powers transferred to them by Decree N°2012/2324/PM of 13 August 2012, related to the conduct of roadside clearing works.

The meeting was adjourned at 10:30 a.m.”

 

Yaounde, 28 December 2016

FOUDA Séraphin Magloire,

Secretary-General of the Prime Minister’s Office

 

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Below is a press release following the meeting of the National Decentralisation Board of Wednesday 28 December 2016.

 

“The Prime Minister, Head of Government, His Excellency Philemon Yang, today Wednesday 28 December 2016, as from 9:00 a.m. in the cabinet meeting Hall chaired the second ordinary session of the National Decentralization Board for the 2016 financial year. In attendance, apart from his close aides, were Members of Government, Members of Parliament, representatives of the Economic and Social Council, representatives of mayors and those of civil society.

Four main items featured on the agenda, namely:

  1. The report of activities conducted by the Permanent Secretariat of the National Decentralization Board during the recess, presented by the Permanent Secretariat of the Board;
  2. The presentation of the Minister for Territorial Administration and Decentralization;
  3. The presentation of the Minister of the Finance on “the mobilization of financial resources meant for local and city councils, FEICOM and municipal magistrates”,
  4. The presentation of the Minister for the Economy, Planning and Regional Development on “ the distribution of the National Decentralization Allocation and mechanisms used to select and finance related projects for fiscal year 2017”.

After the opening remarks of the Prime Minister, Head of Government recalling the total transfer of resources by the State, pursuant to the 2004 Law laying down rules applicable to councils, the Permanent Secretariat presented the report of activities of the Permanent Secretariat during the recess. It revealed that activities during this period consisted in the notification and follow-up of instructions of the previous Board session, participation in carrying out certain instructions, contribution to the codification of the decentralization process, as well as support during installation of the computerized system software for the collection of decentralization data.

Next, the Board listened to the presentation of the Minister for Territorial Administration and Decentralization on the disbursement of financial resources allocated to Local Authorities, t...

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