REPUBLIQUE DU CAMEROUN PAIX-TRAVAIL-PATRIE REPUBLIC OF CAMEROON PEACE-WORK-FATHERLAND
GOVERNMENT'S ECONOMIC, FINANCIAL, SOCIAL AND CULTURAL PROGRAMME FOR THE 2020 FINANCIAL YEAR
PRESENTED TO THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY BY
HIS EXCELLENCY JOSEPH DION NGUTE PRIME MINISTER, HEAD OF GOVERNMENT
YAOUNDE, 29 NOVEMBER 2019
The Right Honourable Speaker of the National Assembly, Honourable Members of the Bureau of the National Assembly, Honourable Members of Parliament, Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen,
I am delighted to take the floor before the National Assembly to present the Economic, Financial, Social and Cultural Programme for the 2020 fiscal year prepared by Government, under the supervision of the President of the Republic, His Excellency Paul BIYA.
Thank you Mr Speaker for the kind words you said to me and the entire Government.
Honourable Members of Parliament,
Government's Economic, Financial, Social and Cultural Programme for 2020 comes in the wake of the Major National Dialogue prescribed by the President of the Republic, His Excellency Paul BIYA, with a two-fold objective: find a concrete and consensual solution to the
security crisis in the North-West and South-West Regions; and address the underlying issue of development in all the regions of Cameroon.
I will begin the presentation of this Programme with an overview of what Government has achieved in 2019 that is ending. This will be followed by the prospects of Government action in 2020.
The Right Honourable Speaker of the National Assembly, Honourable Members of Parliament,
During the course of 2019, Government's activities focused on consolidating the gains of previous years and addressing many challenges and constraints. These include:
- the resolution of the security crisis and socio-political unrest in the North-West and South-West Regions;
- the promotion of peace, national unity and the spirit of togetherness;
- the ongoing finalisation of construction works of sports and ancillary facilities, ahead of the organisation of the 2020 African Nations
Championship (CHAN) and the 2021 African Cup of Nations (AFCON);
- the continued implementation of the Three-Year Emergency Plan for Fast Tracking Economic Growth;
- the implementation of the Three-Year Special Youth Plan;
- the continuation of ongoing major infrastructure projects, especially roads and motorways, and energy projects;
- the continued implementation of the Economic and Financial Programme backed by an Extended Credit Facility, concluded with the International Monetary Fund.
On the social front, the national context was often marked by security constraints and social unrest in the aftermath of post-election litigation. Yet, Cameroonians stood firm against the winds of destabilisation fanned by some enemies of the Republic. Our compatriots remained level-headed with a deep attachment to and respect for republican values and to the Head of State who is the symbol of those values.
I seize this singular opportunity to applaud the high republican spirit and the unshakable resolve of our fellow citizens who, in these difficult times, were able to distinguish right from wrong and worked resolutely to preserve peace and national unity.