French ambassador to Cameroun Gilles Thibault has paid a working visit to the Mifi Division in the West Region. The visit reportedly enabled the French diplomat to assess projects realized within the framework of the French Debt Servicing Program C2D. It was one of the main issues examined during the meeting between the Mr. Gilles Thibault and the administrative officials at the Governor’s office. Ambassador Gilles was updated on the population’s concerns about delays on the Bafoussam Highway construction project.

The Ambassador later visited the Bafoussam Palace where he was ornamented with a west traditional regalia, a ritual performed when high level visitors are received. Some West Regional notables later met the August guest at the Bangante Town Hall in the presence of some development partners including the Mayor of Bangante. Development strategies and how best to execute projects in the West Region were discussed.

The working visit finally ended at the Universite de Montagne – an institution that recently received funding to the tune of 500 billion FCFA as part of the French Debt Servicing C2D package. Ambassador, Gilles Thibault finally appealed on state authorities to give priority to dialogue in resolving the problems in the country.

CRTV

The Minister of Public Works, Emmanuel Nganou Djoumessi has on the 19^th of December 2016 launched the 2017 Road Maintenance Program.

Minister Emmanuel Nganou Djoumessi launched the program during a video conference with stake holders in charge of its implementation within the Central and Decentralized services of the ministry of Public Works.

According to the program revealed, priority in 2017 will be as follows:

–              Maintenance of classified earth roads

–              Maintenance of rural roads

–              The protection of road infrastructure

During the meeting, the Minister also introduced the “Management by level of service” approach to scale-up the level of execution of road maintenance in the country. Service-level management is the monitoring and management of the quality of service of an entity’s key performance indicators.

CRTV

While waiting for the effective work by the Inter-ministerial Ad hoc Committee to review and propose solutions to the concerns raised by Cameroon Anglophone Teachers Trade Unions, the North West Region has been strategizing to get their points through.

Ever since members of the committee were made public, the different stakeholders have been holding planning meetings to see into it that the committee comes up with lasting solutions. In Bamenda, the meetings have multiplied as members hold different reflections. The executive secretary of the of the Cameroon Teachers Trade union- CATTU, Tassang Wilfred said on Thursday 15 December that ever since the strike started, hardly does a day go by without them having to meet.

With the setting up of the committee by the Director of the Prime Minter’s Cabinet, Prof Ghogomu Paul Mingo he said they have intensified reflections. He added that; “the meetings are to ensure that we go through our papers so as to fine-tune our presentations. We want solutions to our problems. The committee is a good one and we hope that it will bring lasting solutions to the English sub system of education. We are ready to work and prepared to bring sensible proposals,” he explained.

On the sidelines, inhabitants in Bamenda are reacting positively towards the creation of the committee, they hold that including PTA presidents as well as denominational representatives is a clear indication that the government has listened to the peoples. From the look of things the people in Bamenda though moody have not forgotten the end of year feast as well as the feast of nativity. The various markets are full to capacity with queues in almost every shop in town.  Bamenda is busy again but not without the presence of the forces of law and order ready to intervene whenever need arises.

Culled from Cameroon Tribune

Philemon Yang, who has now been reduced to a South West Prime Minister, has underscored CPDM government reforms aiming to make professional training a real driving force for economic growth. He was addressing attendees as he inaugurated the Advanced Vocational Training Centre based at Bonadikombo-Limbe last Saturday (17 December, 2016) before proceeding to cut the symbolic ribbon in the presence of the titular Minister of Employment and Vocational Training, Zacharie Perevet. It was his first appearance in Southern Cameroons ever since the so-called head of government was chased out of Bamenda.

Also present was a high-level delegation of South Koreans led by their Ambassador to Cameroon, Lim Jae Hoon, and a host of Cameroonian Ministers from resource departments like Basic, Secondary, Youth and Civic Education. The PM echoed the Centre’s vocation to offer initial and continuing training as well as be a resource centre for companies and a centre for validation of acquired professional experience. In so doing the Limbe Vocational facility will train young Cameroonians in woodwork, plumbing, welding, electricity, mechanics, office automation; refrigeration and air condition; and hotel management and tourism.

Limbe was, however, the PM’s third lap of a commissioning expedition that had earlier taken him in successive days to Sagmelima and Douala where he commissioned similar structures constructed and equipped thanks to the hailed cooperation between Cameroon and South Korea. While calling for proper use and functioning of the Centre, Philemon Yang reiterated President Paul Biya’s commitment to foster the employment and vocational training sector. The PM singled out in praise the Republic of South Korea for remarkable cooperation in the sector to realise the Vocational Centres in Cameroon by constructing and equipping them, training trainers, as well as developing training programmes for trainees.

For his part, the South Korean Ambassador to Cameroon, Lim Jae Hoon, took the pulpit in Limbe to explain that vocational training was the core of industrialisation. He said the Centre was appropriately located in Limbe with the capacity to serve Countries of the Gulf of Guinea and especially the local giant companies and industries among which SONARA, CDC, Shipyard or (Chantier Naval) and the awaited Limbe Deep Sea Port. Ambassador Hoon expressed confidence that the Vocational Centres would boost technical training in Cameroon as trainees from there would envy no better from anywhere else.

Mrs. Ngu Fomede nee Nibameh Comfort, Technical Adviser Number One at the Ministry of Employment and Vocational Training, gave a technical presentation of the Limbe Centre describing it as an architectural jewel on a land space of 59.491 square metres allocated to the project.

The Centre has 12 buildings including one Administrative Block hosting a Library and an Infirmary, two air-conditioned computer rooms, five buildings for workshops, each workshop having 30 individual spaces for trainees, two separate dormitories of 49 beds each for men and women, two residential equipped houses of three rooms each, and one restaurant of 150 seats. Worthy of note is that the Limbe project was one in a trio jointly executed with those of Sangmelima and Douala at CFA 24 billion and meant to develop 14 vocational trades.

Culled from Cameroon Tribune with partial editing from CAMCORD news desk

Leaders of Cameroon Youth Association have called on the government to release hundreds of Youths arrested in Kumba, Bamenda and Kumbo during last week’s strike action. The youths gathered at the Presbyterian Church Centre Ntamulung in Bamenda, North West Region on Wednesday December 14, 2016 in conference on the recent happenings and to propose a way forward.

In his opening speech, the coordinator of the Cameroon Youth Association, Marcel Amabo Mutanga said like the biblical Job, we have waited, we have waited, hoping that our fathers and leaders will solve these issues but we have instead watched with consternation, the massacre of our brothers, self justification, and the use of national issues for selfish political interest.”

The Cameroon Youth leaders condemned all forms of violence in the expression of grievances and the maintenance of law and order.  The Youths also condemned the massacre of Anglophones or Southern Cameroonians by forces recruited to protect them. Marcel Amabo declared, “We hereby demand the release of all those arrested in Bamenda, Kumbo and Kumba.” The Cameroon Youth Association has promised to investigate into the real number of youths arrested, missing, wounded and to descend to the streets to sensitize the youths on how to go about the strike in civility so as to stay away from soldiers killing them.

Culled from The Post

The African Bar Association, AFBA, has strongly condemned the use of force on striking Common Law Lawyers in the North West and South West regions and has called on France, the former colonial master of French Cameroon to use their leverage to bring the government of Cameroon to order.

In a release signed by its President Hannibal Uwaifo, the AFBA said, “The brutalization of lawyers in their legitimate demand for justice in their country and attempt to gag the press and curtail the right to freedom of expressions and peaceful assembly in Cameroon is an evil wind that will blow the Government of President Paul Biya no good, instead as history has taught us all, victory for the oppressed people of Anglophone Cameroon is certain.”

The African Bar Association described the regime of Paul Biya as recalcitrant and maintained that the bilingual and bi cultural nature of the country must be respected to the last letter.

Culled from Cameroun Info.Net