Yaounde, 31 December 2023
# HEAD OF STATE'S END-OF-YEAR 2023 AND NEW YEAR 2024 MESSAGE TO THE NATION
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Fellow Cameroonians,
My Dear Compatriots,
Over the past year which is drawing to an end, our country has been faced with numerous challenges.
Some of them result from an increasingly difficult international context. Others are due to purely domestic issues, most of which are long-standing.
I would like to start by assuring you that in spite of this difficult situation, we continued to cope, together, like the united and close-knit Nation that we have always been, our eyes riveted on a single objective, the only one that matters, namely progress.
As in the past, the said international context weighed heavily on our internal situation.
The lingering war in Eastern Europe continued to disrupt the supply channels of the global consumer products market.
Foodstuff and energy resource prices thus continued to rise as the conditions for accessing external financing tightened.
The resurgence, last October, of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict worsened the rifts within the international community and is now monopolizing its attention.
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As expected, such a situation adversely impacted our country. It led to a general price hike in consumer products and, consequently, the cost of living. It also resulted in various types of shortages, including a shortage of petroleum products.
My Dear Compatriots,
The difficulties that I have just mentioned in no way dampened my resolve to work for the well-being of our people, who, without any doubt, massively trusted and continue to trust me.
Despite the unfavourable context, the Government, under my authority, continued its action with greater determination.
The laudable efforts made following the Covid-19 pandemic to ensure economic recovery yielded appreciable outcomes. The resilience of our economy was confirmed.
Proof of this, is our growth rate which continued to progress and was estimated at 3.9% in 2023, thanks notably to the performance of the non-oil sector.
The consumption support measures implemented by Government helped to contain and stabilize inflation at about 6.7%.
The implementation of various projects was continued or launched to meet the aspirations of the people and improve their wellbeing.
I would like to dwell for a moment on the most sensitive sectors.
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The Project to Supply Drinking Water to the City of Yaounde and its Environs from the River Sanaga is virtually completed. Its imminent commissioning will help to substantially reduce the drinking water deficit in the city of Yaounde.
Studies on the Project to Supply Drinking Water to the City of Douala and its Environs are well advanced. In the long term, the city will be supplied an additional 400 thousand cubic metres of water daily.
Moreover, the Government has embarked on upgrading drinking water production stations in several secondary towns, namely Dschang, Yabassi, Garoua-Boulai, etc.
The requisite efforts will continue to be deployed to rehabilitate and extend the distribution networks of this precious resource in our towns and villages to make it more accessible to households.