Bamenda (Mezam) — Stake holders in the Public Investment Budget (BIP), project chain have been schooled on the new dispensation of its execution.

A training workshop organised by the Ministry of Economy, Planning and Regional Development, MINEPAT, is in line with government's objectives to eradicate corruption in the BIP projects chain. The new participatory approach is aimed at eradicating fictitious projects, uncompleted, abandoned inadequate, slow execution of projects and over estimation of invoicing which has been common in the past. The new participatory approach which constitute local follow up committees whose members will include representatives of beneficiary population and headed by a locally elected parliamentarian of mayor, has also given room for more transparency. As the committee has the right to complaint directly to the minister in case of any fraud.

Opening the seminar, the Governor of the North West Province Abakar Ahamat said the new approach is inline with the reinforcement of good governance and transparency in the management of public finances. He added that since 2005 budgetary year, the government has engaged in educating the different component of Cameroonian society on the programming of projects under BIP. He however added that it is the wish of the government to ensure efficient planning and quality of physical realisation of projects, ameliorate the quality of public expenditure and to better appreciate its impact on development and the satisfaction of the population concerned. Governor Abakar Ahamat called on the different stakeholders to be committed and be honest in dealing with BIP projects while promising total collaboration.

Presenting an exposé on the topic "Appropriation of the New Disposition for the Participatory Follow up of Public Investment", the Director of Programming of Investment in MINEPAT, Mr Paul Tasong spelled out the rules and guidelines of the new approach. The director called on all the stake holders to respect the rules as the axe of the law will fall on defaulters. He said the new approach will ensure greater transparency reason why the government embarked recently on the publication of lists of all projects to be realised in the different localities of the province in public places and announced in public and private media. He said at the beginning the system faced some resistance as some unscrupulous individuals went behind destroying the list. But now he went on, most people are cooperating. The ceremony ended with the installation of the North West BIP Follow up Committee by the governor.