The Minister of Economy, Planning and Regional Development, Alamine Ousmane Mey proceeded, on Thursday February 29, 2024 in Yaoundé, to the signing of the related partnership agreements with the Mayors of the beneficiary Municipalities, in the presence of the Director of the International Labor Office in Cameroon.
In a few months, the Municipalities of Fokoué (West), Kribi 1st (South), Nkongsamba 2nd (Littiral), Ngaoundéré 3rd (Adamaoua), Nitoukou (Center), Touroua (North), and Tubah (Northwest) will see their park infrastructure improve. This, thanks to additional resources from the MINEPAT Public Investment Budget for the 2024 and following financial years.
Indeed, the 2.2 billion FCFA allocated to these 07 Municipalities, is part of the partnership MINEPAT - Cameroonian Decentralized Territorial Communities (CTD), for the realization of demonstrative works such as “High Labor Intensity” (HIMO). Specifically, the signed agreements will allow the rehabilitation and maintenance of earth roads, as well as the construction of social housing and shops in the aforementioned municipalities. The selected projects were the subject of prior studies, and will ultimately: generate 1,520 direct jobs, develop technical skills in construction, promote unskilled local labor and contribute to the valorization of available local materials. in each municipality. Speaking on behalf of the 7 Mayors who signed the agreements, the Mayor of the Municipality of Fokoué in the Western region, expressed their gratitude to the Government: “this new funding will allow the realization of projects which will certainly improve the well-being of the populations of the beneficiary municipalities,” underlined Adrienne Demenou Tapamo.
For the Minister of the Economy, “this signing of conventions is part of the national dynamic, under the very strong leadership of the Head of State, H.E Paul BIYA, in favor of virtuous decentralization for a prosperous future”. It is the realization of one of the orientations of the National Development Strategy (SND30), namely “the systematization of the HIMO approach with the dual objective of developing infrastructure and generating temporary income for poor households”. For the effective implementation of these conventions, Alamine Ousmane Mey invited the beneficiary Mayors to ensure close collaboration with the HIMO Technical Unit which has within it, representatives of MINEFOP, MINTP, MINHDU and a database of experts in HIMO techniques. “These intellectual, material and human resources are at your disposal, in order to guarantee the satisfactory completion of your operations,” indicated the minister.
It should be noted that the use of labor intensive approaches for the construction of basic infrastructure constitutes a strong option of the Cameroonian Government, contained in its legal instruments. In addition to the Presidential Circular relating to the preparation of the State budget for the 2024 financial year, the decree of June 20, 2018 establishing the Public Procurement Code provides for incentive provisions for labor-intensive approaches. The same is true of the decree of March 24, 2014 setting the conditions for recourse and application of HIMO approaches in Cameroon. It is to ensure greater promotion of these approaches that, since 2013, MINEPAT has undertaken the creation, in direct partnership with the CTDs, of demonstrative works using the HIMO technique.
To date, 59 CTDs have already benefited from this initiative, with results considered satisfactory in various areas. As an illustration, more than 10,597 direct jobs were created, including 1,650 in the localities of Nwa, Mbengwi, Fundong and Bamenda in the North-West, Mamfé, Tinto, Tiko and Kumba in the South-West; 270 internally displaced persons had the opportunity to work in the HIMO construction sites in Babadjou, Bafoussam, Banka, Melong, Nkongsamba, Makénéné and Ngambé-Tikar; 3,650 unskilled workers were trained in several technical specialties, namely rubble masonry, formwork, reinforcement, cleaning of waterways, manufacturing and laying of paving stones, as well as the manufacturing of earth blocks compressed; nearly 4.4 billion FCFA in salary income paid to local populations, thus strengthening their purchasing power; roads have been remediated and paved with concrete or stone pavers; hangars, shops, classrooms and social housing were built from compressed earth blocks; culverts and culverts were made of rubble masonry, etc. The idea here is to make CTDs real poles of growth and economic and social development at the regional and local level.
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Mme Adrienne Demenou Tapamo, Maire of Fokoué, spokesperson for beneficiary mayors
« We are in the process of decentralization and local development. In terms of priority, everything varies according to the priorities expressed by each municipality, this involves municipal construction, crossing works, roads, etc. The municipalities present here expressed the needs according to the urgency they had in their respective environments, it is not a homogeneity of projects but rather several projects representative of the needs in their respective localities ».
Clément Noumsi
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