Councils Wants Increased Budget Allocation

They are soliciting an increase from four to 10 per cent of the State budget allocated to them.

The third day of the Exhibition on Government Activities, SAGO, was quite exciting yesterday August 25, 2016 with lectures on various themes such as decentralisation,  the contribution of the agro-pastoral sector to economic growth and the stakes of the Economic Partnership Agreement between Cameroon and the European Union. The lectures are organised alongside the 150 exhibitions stands which the promoter of SAGO, Patrice Assiga Eyene, say have been visited by over 20,000 visitors by press time yesterday.

During the discussions on “The necessity to increase council resources”, the Vice President of the United Councils and Cities of Cameroon (UCCC), Akoa Albert Anicet, insisted on the need for government to increase to 10 per cent the allocation of the State budget to councils. According to him, if this is done, Cameroon will emerge even before 2035 and will walk out of poverty. Akoa, who is also Mayor of Ngoulémakong in the East Region, stated that the partnership between the councils and the government as well as the participation of the citizens in local development is also paramount to boost local development.

Just like the UCCC Vice President, the Mayor of Fokoué in the East Region said the development challenges of councils are enormous, but with only meagre resources available. The Mayors also talked about the necessity for competent human resources in order to realize palpable results.

Meanwhile, the Director of Decentralised Territorial Collectivities in the Ministry of Territorial Administration, Etienne Owono Owono, challenged Councils to source for alternative revenues through national and foreign partnerships. He said the government is already doing a lot to support local Councils in the decentralisation process, even though its resources are also limited. As for the State budget, he stressed on the need for good management of resources by Council executives.