South West: EU Supports Local Development

Strengthening the capacities of local stakeholders to promote sustainable development and improve service delivery was the focus of a consultation meeting bet­ ween the Buea Council and the Eu­ ropean Union under the Local De­ velopment Support Programme (PADL). The meeting brought toge­ ther representatives of the European Union, GIZ, CAP-CUE, UCCC, MINEPAT and the PADL Technical Assistance Team to identify priority areas for the municipality’s development. The Deputy Head of Cooperation at the European Union Delegation to Cameroon, Julien Abratis, said the visit formed part of the PADL Project, which supports decentralisation, lo­ cal development and climate change adaptation. He noted that Buea is one of 10 pilot municipalities se­ lected from the North, Far North and South West Regions to benefit from the programme. According to him, the mission seeks to understand the municipality’s needs and provide support through capacity building, climate-resilient infrastructure, im­ proved agricultural practices, rene­ wable energy and other develop­ ment initiatives. He added that a technical assistance team would re­ turn in October 2026, to develop concrete interventions in areas such as water and waste management, tourism infrastructure and road de­ velopment. Mayor David Mafani Nam...