Council development agents empowered to boost growth

The National Community Driven Programme of the Ministry of the Economy Planning and Regional Development has donated brand new motorcycles to assist councils of the Centre Region.

Some 80 brand new high-power motorcycles adapted to earth and tarred roads were given to Council development agents who have been trained in data collection, processing and the elaboration of sustainable development agendas for their respective councils.

“A bike is an essential working tool for a community development agent. We have to move into deferent parts of the council constantly to ask the population’s development priorities and to get feedback but most of the roads are very bad especially when it rains. With these bikes we will be able to cross small rivers and go farms to assist the population” Clotaire Enguene Entoundi community Development Agent for Akono council noted.

According to Charles Boube Matcha, representative of the National Coordinator of the National community Driven Development Programme, the initiative is part of national programme aimed at helping decentralised units draw up, execute and evaluate their development agenda and ensure that development Programme tie with the national development policy.

The Mayors of the respective councils signed-out the motorcycles on behalf of their development agents and pledged to accompany them to ensure a people oriented development in their municipalities.

“Our council is partly urban and rural; these bikes will help us in parts of Yaounde VII where roads are bad and in town when there is traffic jam. It will also ease the follow up of our socioeconomic development programme and the coordination of our cooperatives which are in a production chain” Augustine Tamba, the Mayor of Yaounde VII said.

The Governor of the Centre Region Otto Joseph Wilson reminded the Mayors and the Community Development agents that they will be evaluated on the results produced on the field.