BY ATIA TILARIOUS AZOHNWI
The University of Buea (UB) will run on a budget of ten billion, eight hundred and fifty eight million, five hundred and sixty-one thousand and forty five francs CFA in 2019. The budget was adopted on Tuesday, December 18, 2018 at the Boardroom of the Faculty of Science during the 35th meeting of council of the University of Buea.
The meeting was chaired by Professor Edward Oben Ako, Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of Council. The examination and adoption of the 2019 draft budget was top on the agenda of the council session. According to the breakdown of the budget, about FCFA 8 billion will go for recurrent expenditure while over FCFA 2 billion will go for investments.
“The 2019 budget has witnessed a decrease compared to that of 2018 which stood at some FCFA 12.2 billion. The 2019 budget is however more realistic because it deals with budget heads that the university can meaningfully execute during this academic year. The budget is one that enables the university to have a more realistic idea of what their financial strength will be. In past years, they tended to overestimate the number of students and it posed a problem in terms of the execution of the budget during the academic year,” the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of Council explained after the closed-door session.
He said the 2019 budget will continue with some of the infrastructural projects on-going at the university. Prof. Edward Oben Ako added that, “The University needs the appropriate infrastructure to ensure that the students learn and are taught in an appropriate learning environment. The bulk of the budget actually goes on infrastructure and all that it takes to make for a proper learning environment – research, corporation, staff needs among others.”
The 35th council of the University of Buea also endorsed the advancement and promotion of some members of academic staff of the University of Buea as presented. They went on to approve the Finance and General Purpose Committee of Council and also those of the Financial Controller and Accounting officer on the financial management of the university.
The Vice-Chancellor (VC) of the University of Buea, Prof. Ngomo Horace Manga presented his management report to council which was greeted with congratulatory remarks. The VC and his collaborators were praised on their innovativeness and the excellent management of the University in 2018 despite the financial and security challenges facing the institution.
The Council went on to thank government for all the support it has and continues to provide to enable the University of Buea to carry out its essential missions.