Support for municipal development in Cameroon
Context
In its strategy document on growth and employment, the Cameroonian government identifies decentralization as an essential element of democracy promotion and poverty alleviation. Although numerous competencies, for example in the area of basic services as well as infrastructure, were transferred to the municipalities, significant decisions regarding the planning and financing of local development continue to be made in the ministries of the capital.
However, in areas where local actors are committed to implement reforms at local level, municipal tasks are fulfilled better even if the municipalities are often not sufficiently fulfilling their tasks for sustainable municipal development.
In addition, the municipalities do not have the necessary financial resources, even if they have been formally assigned their own sources of revenue. However, progress has already been made in terms of financial strengthening of the municipalities.
Project description
The overall aim of the programme is to support municipalities, so that they can better undertake their role in local development. The programme is active in the economically disadvantaged Nord region, as well as in the English-speaking South-West Region.
Services
AMBERO currently provides the following specific services, in all fours fields of action of the programme:
- Design and implementation of capacity development programs for the administrative staff of the two intervention regions (North and Southwest) and the neighboring regions (Adamawa, Far North and Northwest).
- Development and implementation of needs-oriented training courses with peer-to-peer learning approaches within the network of financial experts at municipal level.
- Participatory development of a list of tasks and actions for overseeing ministerial services advising the municipalities on local development.
- Organization and execution of two international study tours (in and outside of Africa),
- Technical support for the collection and evaluation of municipal infrastructure in the area of 6 municipalities in the pilot regions North and Southwest.
- Inception and implementation of a study to determine the needs for municipal telecentres (MTCs) in the intervention regions North and Southwest.
- Thematic and technical inception of demand-oriented educational content as well as digital communal services via MTCs.
- Thematic and technical support of the municipal employees and the staff of the MTCs during implementation of the services.
- Setting-up and management of a pool of experts.
