The President of the Senate; The President of the National Assembly; The President of the Economic and Social Council; The President of the Constitutional Council; The First President of the Supreme Court and the Procureur General of the said Court; Members of Government; Your Excellencies, Heads of Diplomatic Missions and representatives of International Organizations; The President of the United Councils and Cities of Cameroon; Government Delegates and Mayors; Municipal Councillors; Council partners Dear participants at the General Conference of Local Councils; Ladies and gentlemen;
Let me first thank the Government Delegate to the Yaounde City Council for the warm words he has extended to all participants at the first-ever “General Conference of Local Councils.”
The Government also expresses its gratitude to Mr. Alioune Badiane, a great friend of the Cameroonian municipal movement, who responded promptly to the organizers’ invitation. His masterly presentation, which has highlighted the contribution of decentralization in the emergence processes of African States, shows that the theme that brings us together is shared by the other countries of the continent and, particularly that our country is in the top tier in matters of decentralization in Africa.
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Ladies and gentlemen,
Let me take my responsibility to preside, as representative of the President of the Republic, the maiden “General Conference of Local Councils”, placed under his highly distinguished patronage. It is of course, for the President of the National Decentralization Board I am, a pleasant opportunity to be in the presence of our 374 heads of council executives, other stakeholders and partners of council life. The Government of the Republic is very sensitive to the efforts you make on a daily basis to translate the constitutional principle of free administration of regional and local authorities.
The “General Conference of Local Councils” was prescribed by the President of the Republic to explore ways of deepening decentralization at council level. Its holding at the beginning of this new seven-year presidential term of office, and after the creation of a Ministry dedicated to decentralization, is not the result of chance. The idea is to prepare the Council to take its full place and to play its full role in the building sites of the “Great Opportunities” seven-year term. It must better catalyze the opportunities created or to be created by the central state. Moreover, each council must be able to generate decisive opportunities for local development in its local ecosystem. The stated ambition of the Government is to turn councils into multifarious areas of opportunities for the people and the economic fabric, in line with the objectives of the National Decentralization Strategy.
Throughout these two days of reflection and self-criticism, the focus will be on ways of strengthening the foundations of the council institution, giving a fresh impetus to local development and, ultimately, giving meaning to the fundamental public policy of decentralization.
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