REPUBLIC OF CAMEROON Peace-Work-Fatherland
REPUBLIC OF CAMEROON Peace-Work-Fatherland
SERVICES DU PREMIER MINISTRE PRIME MINISTER'S OFFICE SECRETARIAT GENERAL SECRETARIAT GENERAL
# PRESS RELEASE FOLLOWING CABINET MEETING OF THURSDAY 25 FEBRUARY 2021
The Prime Minister, Head of Government, His Excellency Joseph DION NGUTE, chaired a Cabinet Meeting this Thursday, 25 February 2021 at 3 p.m. at the Auditorium of the Prime Minister’s Office. It was attended by Ministers of State, Ministers, Ministers-Delegate and Secretaries of State.
The statements made during this Cabinet Meeting focused on reforms in the forestry and wildlife sub-sector, as well as strategies for promoting local development within the context of decentralisation. The situation of the COVID-19 pandemic in Cameroon was also discussed.
At the end of the introductory address by the Head of Government, the Minister of Forestry and Wildlife gave an overview of this sub-sector, before dwelling on the modalities for implementing reforms in this area of activity. Reforms already underway include the status of the Eco Guards corps, the restructuring of the National School of Water and Forestry and the establishment of the Wildlife Office. As for the planned reforms, they include a ban on the export of timber in the form of logs as from 1 January 2022, the revision of the forestry law and the strengthening of repressive provisions.
The Minister of Forestry and Wildlife insisted on the need to rehabilitate the Special Fund for Forest Development as established by the decree of 10 April 1996 to lay down the modalities of operation of Special Funds. The aim is to optimise the financing of the National Programme for the Development of Forest Plantations, the implementation of management plans for protected areas and the fight against poaching and wildlife crime.
With regard to the promotion of local development, the Minister in charge of Decentralisation presented the strategies at work to ensure better planning and harmonious implementation. In this respect, he stressed the importance of anchoring local planning in the corpus of competences transferred to the Regions and Municipalities, but also its linkage to the national development strategy 2030 and international agendas. The local development planning enshrined in the municipal plans is to be continued in the context of the preparation of regional development plans.
Referring to the strategies relating to the financing of local development, the Minister in charge of Decentralisation stated that they are backed by the option of modernising local finances, with an emphasis on strengthening the financial autonomy of Regional and Local Authorities, optimising budget and accounting management, and increasing financial inclusion at local level. Other complementary strategies are at work to promote local development, such as the establishment of a local civil service, the training of Regional and Local Authority staff, the strengthening of local governance and the functional reform of decentralised State services.