South West: Satisfactory Performance Of Decentralised Authorities

The Office of the Public Independent Conciliator (OPIC) for the South West has published its 2025 annual report. The publication on the state of relations between citizens and regional and council services was presented to the media on Wednesday, March 11, 2026 by South West Public Independent Conciliator, Motaze Telelen Dorothy Atabong in Buea. The report relied on a combination of approaches and multiple sources of information such as; the examination and management of complaints brought before the office, revelations gathered during town hall meetings, data obtained through questionnaires administered as well as the monitoring of media reports on local governance. As part of the methodology, the office administered 2,928 opinionsampling questionnaires across the Region. Out of this number, 2,882 completed questionnaires were returned, representing a response rate of over 96 percent. Data from the survey indicated that over 70 percent of respondents considered council performance generally satisfactory in areas such as the issuance of civil status documents, the allocation and management of commercial spaces in markets, the management of motor parks, and the granting of building permits. However, the report highlighted that waste management and sanitation remain among the weakest areas of council performance. More than 60 percent of respondents indicated that the sit...