-Mayors pledge to support economic dev’t of territories
By Doh James Sonkey
Curtains have been drawn on the 3rd edition of the Councils International Economic Forum, JEICOM 2025, with Urban and City Councils harvesting FCFA billions of funding opportunities. Representing the Prime Minister, Head of Government at the closing ceremony last June 4, 2025 at the Yaounde Conference Centre, Minister of Decentralisation and Local Development, George Elanga Obam called on Mayors to make good use of the huge harvest.
He said, ‘‘it’s a great moment of brainstorming for our regional and local authorities. We have been able during two days to put in practice what we are calling the Council of Production. And to have a good Council of Production, after listening to presentations, it appears that the process of maturation of projects is at the heart of the concept of Council of Production.”
The Minister detailed that, “We listened to a lot of experiences from here and abroad. Universities people were invited, local and foreign investors were also invited, and public and private actors were convened. The number of partnerships that were signed, the amount of money that is involved and the number of projects that are going to be put in place show that when the President of the Republic, H.E Paul Biya was saying that decentralisation and local development are going to be at the centre of this action, it’s now a reality.’’
Minister George Elanga Obam continued that ‘‘we want to say that we are gaining experience, we are putting in place basis that are going to strengthen our decentralisation movement. We want just to hope that in the very next future, the engagements that were taken are going to be concretised.’’
Speaking last June 2, 2025 at the opening ceremony of JEICOM25, the Prime Minister, Head of Government, Chief Dr Joseph Dion Ngute reiterated government’s support to councils.
Kumba City Major, Gregory Mewanu read the Mayors’ declaration in English in which they expressed deep gratitude to President Biya for the support given to councils and JEICOM in particular.
UCCC President, Augustin Tamba said highlights of JEICOM 2025 were the signing of a convention worth FCFA 1 billion for the benefit of five Cameroonian councils and the African Development Bank will offer FCFA 17 million to the association of female mayors of Cameroon.
He urged mayors to mobilise for the development of Cameroon territory as wished by the President of the Republic, H.E Paul Biya, ‘‘who gave us his very high patronage, funding and supervision, because the whole sectoral ministry had a very high instruction so that these administrations would accompany us for the success of this event. We have signed a number of agreements and partnerships. There are five Cameroonian councils that benefit from more than a billion francs from the FACTI funds of the King of Morocco, which are non-reimbursable funding. We have also signed a number of agreements with partners who have been on the ground for six months, including the company Ayer Dagan, which will do agriculture, pisciculture with us, with the production of aloe vera and the production of food.’’
The UCCC President added that ‘‘we have also, with the Indians, launched a big project, which in terms of maturation, for the cultivation of corn, to export the derivatives of cassava, i.e. starch, which will be used by Indian companies for the pharmaceutical industry. We have also, with two French government, signed agreements and partnerships, and these companies are already in Cameroon for the studies of the transformation of crushed pepper into bureaucracy, into usury. You know, we still import agglomeration, and we want it to stop with massive investments. We have tens of billions of investments for the transformation of wood. All these actions in the agricultural sector tend now to transform our territories.
‘‘You heard the announcement of the European Union on the Global Gateway, which is an initiative that will bring more than 160 billion euros in funding for Africa. We must be ready”, Augustin Tamba declared.
The President of the United Councils and Cities of Cameroon said ‘‘after 2021 and 2023, here comes JEICOM 2025, offering partnerships which represent an opportunity for local councils to modernise, to accelerate their development, to meet the needs of their communities, and strengthen their national and international capacity.’’
-A call to Cameroonians
In closing, Chief Albert Ngwana had a message for citizens and the government alike: “Let’s see this for what it is: an opportunity to build a better tomorrow. This investment could be the beginning of a new Cameroon, industrial, self-reliant, and prosperous.”
He called on local communities to embrace the changes, noting that infrastructure and opportunity would follow. “Reverse migration is possible. Our youth can find purpose and prosperity here at home if we get this right.”
As Cameroon awaits the arrival of President Obasanjo June 10, expectations are soaring. If successful, the investment initiative could be the launchpad for Cameroon’s emergence as a regional economic powerhouse and a model of African-led development.