Jeicom23: A bread basket for local councils in Cameroon
Cameroonian councils are exhibiting the best of their products and services at the Yaounde Conference Centre hoping to bait and strike profitable partnerships and business deals with foreign investors who are in Cameroon for the second edition of the Councils International Economic Forum dubbed JEICOM
The local councils are hoping to get a tête à tête with investors from over twenty three countries from Africa, Europe, America and Saudi Arabia in Asia. Their main objective is to woo the foreigners to put money into their projects and boost the economy.
During the opening ceremony presided by the Prime Minister, Chief Dr. Joseph Dion Ngute, the Head of Government, Head of State’s Representative, spoke elaborately on the importance of a forum like this at a time Cameroon puts decentralisation at the top.
The PM said councils have a great role to play in good governance and are vectors of development of Cameroon.
The Head of Government called on the mayors to seize the rare opportunities and materialize them into visible projects at their grassroots where they come from.
On his part, Augustin Tamba, President of the United Councils and Cities of Cameroon urged the local administrators to engage in poverty alleviation schemes in order to raise the living standards of their population. He added that food security must be checked to ensure the well being of their people.
André Flahaut, Belgian Minister of State, took to the rostrum at the opening ceremony and suggested that more opportunities should be made available for local councils and development will follow.
Local councils according to the Belgian have as motive to work for the improvement of persons in their communities. He thinks the well-being of these communities will be a foundation to growth at the national level.
The Mayor of Tangier, Mounir Laymouri who also wears the hat of the President of the Moroccan Association of Local Councils shared the Moroccan experience with the hundreds of participants on how councils manage food security and other development related issues.
As part of the activities highlighting the international forum, the esplanade of the Yaoundé conference Centre has been transformed into an exhibition ground for the various councils to showcase their produce and opportunities they can offer.
For the next two days, these participants, mostly mayors will be schooled on matters such as the contemporary challenges of decentralised, cooperation, agribusiness, agro-industry and the creation of value chains.
The three day event ends on Saturday June 3, 2023.
Bruno Ndonwie Funwie
