Supreme State Control Launches National Award for Excellence to Curb Corruption

The first objective is to promote exemplary behavior in the management of public affairs in order to serve as references and models in public eyes.
The second objective is to ensure the purpose of the controls. These must indeed be levied and used as a management tool to optimize both performance and curb the inefficiencies and reprehensible behavior and glorifying the merits of good managers to promote good public governance in Cameroon.
The idea according to a hint is expected to curb corruption and embezzlement within government circles.
As such the Award fir Excellence focuses on:
- Maximising revenue collection of the State,
- Promote the  rational use of state resources ,
- Instill transparency in the execution of the public investment budget in quantity and quality,
- And ensure Innovative management and control of public finances.

According to what we gathered, 19 applications were received from some civil servants of good morals. Following deliberations by jury members, the winners of the Award of Excellence Managerial Public Administration Cameroon 2012 edition have been designated as follows:

 Maximize revenue collection of the State:
- First Prize Laureate: Directorate General of Customs, Ministry of Finance
- 2nd Prize: Mr. David Tségui, Regional Delegate of the Ministry of Commerce for the Littoral.
Rational use of state resources:
- 1st Prize Laureate Mr. Issa Fedzié, regional delegate of the Ministry of Small and Medium Enterprises, Social Economy and Handicrafts Northwest.
- 2nd prize: Mr. Joseph Bipoupout, Departmental Delegate of Small and Medium Sized Enterprises, Social Economy and crafts for Wouri.
- 3rd prize: Madme Eveyé Jeanine Sidonie in his capacity as Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Administrative Reform.

When News Breaks Out, We Break In. Minute by Minute Report on Cameroon and Africa

AU Chairman Urges Nato to Send Forces to Mali

 (Source BBC)

The African Union's chairman Thomas Boni Yayi has called for Nato to send forces to Mali to help fight militant Islamists who have captured the north.

Islamist Rebels taking control of the North

The Malian conflict was an "international question" and Nato should intervene just as it had done in Afghanistan, Mr Yayi said.

However, the campaign against the militants should be led by an African force, he said.

The UN last month approved plans to send some 3,000 African troops to Mali.

UN officials said they did not expect the force to be deployed before September.

Mr Yayi, who is Benin's president, called for Nato intervention after talks with Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper in Ottawa.

"Nato should play a part and the African force would lead the way as was done by Nato in Afghanistan," he said. "This is an international situation." Nato took command of the international peacekeeping force in Afghanistan in 2003. Several Nato members, including the US and France, say they will help to train an African force for the Mali operation, but have not offered to send ground troops or launch air strikes.

Mr Harper said Canada - a Nato member - was not considering direct military involvement in Mali.

"Obviously we are very concerned about the situation, and the development of essentially an entire terrorist region is of grave concern to everybody in the international community," he said.

The Islamists and Tuareg rebels seized power in northern Mali - an area the size of France - in the chaos following a coup in the capital, Bamako last year.

Their ranks had been bolstered by fighters from Libya, who crossed into Mali after the overthrow of Colonel Muammar Gaddafi's government in 2011.

A Nato bombing campaign helped Libya's militias to oust Col Gaddafi's government.

The alliance between the Islamists and Tuareg groups quickly collapsed, with the Islamists taking the region's main urban centres.

The Islamist groups have since destroyed ancient shrines in Timbuktu and imposed a strict interpretation of Islamic law, sparking international outrage.

Burkina Faso's government is trying to mediate an end to the conflict.

It is due to host talks between the Islamists, Tuareg rebels and the Malian government in the Burkinabe capital, Ouagadougou, on Friday.

When News Breaks Out, We Break In. Minute by Minute Report on Cameroon and Africa

Massive Fire Rips Through Slum in Nigeria Megacity

 (Source AP) 

A massive fire tore through a waterfront slum in Nigeria's megacity of Lagos on Tuesday, burning down dozens of shack workshops and homes. When firefighters didn't turn up, locals tried in vain to stop the blaze with buckets of water.

The fire hit along the dirty shoreline of the Lagos Lagoon, an area full of sawmills that process lumber floated into the city from hundreds of miles (kilometers) away. Massive piles of sawdust and loose shavings fill the area. By Tuesday afternoon, a thick plume of smoke rose from the mills over the city's long Third Mainland Bridge, which links the metropolis to its islands.

Hours later after the sunset set, the fire still raged in the neighborhood. Silhouettes of residents could be seen, trying to toss water onto the massive flames, which stood stories high. The rest of the neighborhood remained in the dark, with little points of lights from flashlights dancing across the blackness.

It was unclear if anyone was injured in the inferno. Officials with Lagos state emergency services could not be reached for comment into Tuesday night. There were no firefighters, trucks or emergency equipment seen in the neighborhood, which can be difficult to reach and dangerous for outsiders.

Emergency services often lack equipment, manpower and competent staff in Nigeria, a nation of more than 160 million people whose economy is fueled largely by crude oil. Across Lagos, many areas lack water lines, meaning officials often let fires burn themselves out rather than call in water tankers that can take hours to reach the scene.

Tuesday's blaze was the second major one in the city in recent weeks. On Dec. 26, a massive explosion ripped through a warehouse full of fireworks in a crowded neighborhood in Lagos Island, killing one person and injuring at least 15.

Fire remains a major threat in Nigeria, where many people store gasoline and diesel in their homes to run generators for electricity. As Tuesday's fire burned, some drivers pulled over to take mobile phone images of the fire from the bridge. The only sirens heard came from convoys of police and soldiers roaring by guarding the nation's business and political elite.

___
Jon Gambrell can be reached at www.twitter.com/jongambrellAP

When News Breaks Out, We Break In. Minute by Minute Report on Cameroon and Africa

Sudan: At Least 30 Darfur Rebels Killed in Clashes

(Source AP)
The Sudanese army says its soldiers have killed at least 30 rebels in clashes in Sudan's troubled North Darfur region.
The army spokesman, Col. Sawarme Khalid, says the rebel forces belong to Justice and Equality Movement. He told the semiofficial Sudan Media Center Wednesday that the army turned back a rebel attack in Jebel Marra area of North Darfur.
Darfur has been in turmoil since 2003, when ethnic Africans rebelled, accusing the Arab-dominated Sudanese government of discrimination. Rights groups charge the regime retaliated by unleashing Arab militias on civilians, a claim the government denies.
The U.N. estimates 300,000 people have died and 2.7 million have been displaced in the conflict.
Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir has been indicted on war crimes charges by the International Criminal Court over Darfur.


When News Breaks Out, We Break In. Minute by Minute Report on Cameroon and Africa

Biya Extends Mandate of Elecam Board, Appoints One New

President Paul Biya has finally extended the mandate of Board members of Elections Cameroon-ELECAM for another four years after they were acting in illegality since December 30, 2012. Dr. Fonkam Azu’u was predicted was reappointed Board Chairman while others were confirmed. Beside that the Presidential Decree of January 8, 2012 also appointed a business magnet by name Amadou Gouroudja to replace Pauline Biyong, who was sacked from the board for her involvement in the distribution of CDPM posters during the last Presidential Elections of 2011. However, the press in recent weeks has been sounding an alarm that the actions of Dr. Fonkam Azu'u Samuel, Chairman of the Board of Elections Cameroon (Elecam) as well as other members of the board were illegitimate and illegal, giving that their four-year term had expired on December 30 , 2012. Even though it is alleged the Presidential Decree was signed on December 30, 2012, public opinion is still wondering why it was on January 8, 2013 that the information public was made public. Although the Presidential Decree was made public while all members of the electoral board are in the field for a national awareness campaign on biometric voter’s registration, indicators are rife at that the registration process is still very slow and Elections Cameroon needs to intensify field activities reasons why Fonkam Azu'u is announced in the Northwest Region this week to follow-up the ongoing registration process.

When News Breaks Out, We Break In. Minute by Minute Report on Cameroon and Africa

Jakiri Council’s Five Years Action Plan is Success Story- Shang Lawrence

By Kimbi V in Jakiri

The Senior Divisional Officer for Bui Division, Nzeki Theophile has lauded the efforts of the Jakiri Council in the fight against poverty through the Five Years Action Plan initiated in 2007. While in Jakiri, Nzeki Theophile noted with satisfaction that the five years action plan of the council is an eye opener in poverty alleviation in the entire Bui Division. To Nzeki Theophile, the Jakiri Council has succeeded in bringing back the community development spirit which for some years now has died in many municipalities. In presenting his five years stewardship during the last budgetary session that took place on December 27, 2012, said the Jakiri Council Five Years Action Plan has been successful giving that his administration was able to raise access to potable water from 40% to over 93%.  

Shang Lawrence, in his presentation disclosed that when his team took over the council they toured the entire municipality and “following participatory consultations” which took them to the nooks and cronies of the municipality; Jakiri Council was able to formulate a collective vision based on the problems presented by the people. From the vision, Shang Lawrence noted, the council was able to develop a Five Years Action Plan with particular emphasizes laid on the five priority needs of the people as expressed during the participatory consultations.

Access to potable water, said was the priority, which was followed by access to farms to market roads, access to electricity, access to education facilities and access to proper health care. And it is on the basis of these needs expressed by the population that the Jakiri Council worked out its development strategy as well as out-source for potential partners.

In presenting the balance sheet on Access to Potable Water as top priority in the municipality, the Mayor of Jakiri revealed that recent studies carried out by the Ministry of Public Health, were indicative that more than 70% of health problems in his municipality were water related. These water related ailments Shang Lawrence said accounts for more than 50% of down time and as such results to low agricultural productivity. In order to overcome these problems and the constant water shortages in the dry season, Jakiri Council initiated seven mini water supply networks in the communities of Sabongari, Taron, Ngoylum, Nsom, Ntutty, Kov-Wong and Ran. And through the support of the American Embassy and the Tadu Dairy Cooperative, the Council also succeeded in the construction of a 5km potable water supply network for Ntur and another 15km pipeline to bring fresh water from the Kilum Mountain forest to the village communities of Tarshem, Shukov, Nkarkui and Tavirer. He said the process to extend the pipeline to Yer and neigbouring communities of Kumbo Central (Ntseni, Mbah and Melim) are ongoing. Still in the domain of improving access to potable water, Shang Lawrence also revealed that his council signed a convention worth 350 million FCFA with the Council Support Fund-FEICOM for the construction of seven water schemes to serve the villages in the municipality. The villages are: (Mboh-Njong, Kwa-Nso, Ndzerem-Nyam and Anseh worth 50 million FCFA), (Mokam: 50 million FCFA),(Mensai: 50 million FCFA), (Ntohtti: 50 million FCFA), (Bui: 30 million FCFA), (Lip: 20 million FCFA) and the rehabilitation of the Sob Water scheme worth 72 million FCFA. Five of the above mentioned projects were successfully realized and water is flowing in those communities while two of them are nearing completion.

As such, Shang Lawrence noted with satisfaction that when they were elected into the council five years ago, access to water stood at 40% (24 villages having access to potable water) and as their five years mandate elapse, 54 villages out of 58 now enjoy clean and potable water) estimated at 93% access to water.

As the Jakiri Council has succeeded in alleviating the problems of access to water, the Mayor of Jakiri Council also observed that such as a success is likely to reduce down time and as such increase agricultural productivity. Working in close collaboration with development partners like SODEPA and the Tadu Dairy Cooperative, the Jakiri Council rehabilitated 30km of earth road linking six communities. And in order to ease the evacuation of farm produce, a 10km earth road was also constructed to create an access road to the productive area of the Bui valley. Another 30km earth road was rehabilitated from Vekovi through Nkar, Mensai, Sob, Wvem, Faakui and Tarshem. Further more, the Jakiri Council also rehabilitated the third 35km belt way which runs from Jakiri through Noiy, Mboh-Kijah, Wasi-Ber and Shiy. The Mayor also revealed that with the framework of developing farms to market roads in the municipality, some twenty bridges were also constructed to ease the movement of farmers and farm produce. He however lamented that the actions have been slowed by the lack of adequate social structures such as the road management committees.

One of the major impediments to rural infrastructure, the mayor said is the absence of adequate electricity power supply in rural Jakiri. Working in collaboration with the Tadu Dairy Project and the Government of Cameroon, Jakiri Council succeeded in extending power supply lines from Nkar through Kisemjam, and Shukai to Vekovi. He further revealed that the Jakiri Council as also started work on the assembly of Pilot Mini Hydro Electrical Power Supply Grid in a locality known as Shiy and Wvem in collaboration GRC and ADEID. This project he added will solve the problem of inadequate electrical power supply in his municipality.

Taking into consideration that Health is Wealth and prevention is better than Cure, the Mayor of Jakiri Council in presenting the results so far achieved in five years in the health sector revealed that majority of their actions were geared towards pre-emptive measures of disease such as the provision of potable water, regular collection of garbage and the constant sensitization of the population on waste disposal. But since prevention alone is not good enough, the Jakiri Council explored other avenues to make sure that population stays sound and in good health. In making sure that these objectives are realized, Shang Lawrence disclosed that Jakiri Council had to seek partnership collaboration with the Bui Family Union-USA. This collaboration resulted to the donation of delivery beds and some essential hospital equipment to the council which were distributed to the following health centers, Vekovi, Kwa-Nso, Sob, Wasi-Ber and Mbokam. The council also recruited qualified Laboratory Technicians and other essential staff for each of the above principal health centers.

On improving access to basic education, Shang Lawrence observed that one of the biggest problems to rural transformation is the lack of skilled labour. The mayor said that apart from rehabilitating existing classrooms and distributing minimum packages to schools, the Jakiri Council also recruited trained teachers who were deployed to some schools.

On the sustainable management of natural resources, the mayor decried the abusive exploitation of the Savanna and Montane ecosystem which has degenerated to scarcity of water, food and medicines. According to the mayor of Jakiri, mitigating to sustain a sane environment is very necessary and constitutes one of the major axes, if not; the access to water program which is at 93% could not be sustainable. “As such working in close collaboration with the Ministries of Environment and Nature Protection, Forestry and Wildlife, the National Community Driven Program-PNDP and SNV, studies are underway for the protection of the main watersheds in the municipality”. He said the Jakiri council has earmarked the Vekovi, Ntunir, Mengu and Tarshem watersheds as the main water sources in the municipality. And furthermore, the Jakiri council has already passed a resolution diccouraging the abusive planting of eucalyptus in watersheds.

In the domain of good governance, Shang Lawrence reiterated that in order to ensure that the current infrastructural investments are sustained by its beneficiaries over time, there is an urgent need for communities to develop a better sense of ownership. He said the notion that every project implemented by the council is a property of the mayor, his deputies and councilors is what the Jakiri Council is trying to wipe-off the minds of the population. Especially with the advent of decentralization, the Jakiri Council intends to build grassroot social structures such as village development associations in order to better solicit their active participation in their own development. As the Jakiri Council is working in collaboration with VSA and the American Peace Corps implement the Transparent, Accountability and Participation Program-TAP to empower Council executive, councilors and community leaders on their roles and responsibilities. As a result, the Community Action Center-CEAC and VSO assisted the council to reorganize 50 village development associations.

2013, he said will be a year for the Jakiri council to strengthen its participatory approaches which will be more community oriented. With a budget of 412, 148,572 FCFA, voted for 2013, the mayor concluded that they will only use this year to dot the (i)s and cut the (

When News Breaks Out, We Break In. Minute by Minute Report on Cameroon and Africa

Different challenges in Central African Rep., Mali

 (AP) -

 Two land-locked, desperately poor African countries are gripped by rebellions in the north that have left huge chunks of both nations outside of government control. Neighboring countries are rushing troops into Central African Republic only a few weeks after rebels started taking towns but Mali's government is still awaiting foreign military help nearly one year after the situation there began unraveling. Here's a look at why there's been quick action in one country, and not in the other.

___

THE INSURGENTS

The simple answer lies in the vastly different challenges faced by intervention forces. Northern Mali is home to al-Qaida-linked militants who are stocking weapons and possess stores of Russian-made arms from former Malian army bases as well as from the arsenal of toppled Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi. The local and foreign jihadists there are digging in and training forces in preparation for jihad and to repel an invasion. Central African Republic, by contrast, is dealing with home-grown rebels who are far less organized and have less sophisticated weapons.

The numbers of troops being sent to Central African Republic are relatively small - Republic of Congo, Cameroon and Gabon are each sending about 120 soldiers. The rebels stopped their advances toward the capital on Dec. 29, perhaps at least in part because of the presence of the foreign troops who have threatened to counterattack if the rebels move closer to Bangui, the capital. In Mali, it will take far more than the 3,000 African troops initially proposed for a military operation to be successful in ousting the militants, analysts say.

___

THE MISSION

The military objectives are also a stark contrast. In Central African Republic, neighboring nations have a mandate to help stabilize the region between rebel-held towns and the part of the country that is under government control. The intervention force will fire back if fired upon, but so far are not being asked to retake the towns already in rebel hands.

The mission in Mali that foreign forces are slowly gearing up for is far more ambitious. It involves trying to take back a piece of land larger than Texas or France where militants are imposing strict Islamic law, or Shariah. Making things even more complicated there: A military coup last year that created chaos and enabled the rebels to more easily take territory has left the country with a weak federal government and the country's military with a broken command-and-control structure, and with its leaders reluctant to give real power to the civilians.

"In Mali you have a very undefined mission. What does it mean to retake the country and give it back to government forces that were not able to hold it in the first place?" noted Jennifer Cooke, director of the Africa program at the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies.

Central African Republic's situation "is a more limited, defined and frankly somewhat easier mission in the military sense," she said.

___

THE TERRAIN

Northern Mali is a scorching desert that is unfamiliar to many of the troops who would be coming from the West African regional bloc of countries known as ECOWAS. By contrast, Central African Republic's neighbors already have been pulled into past rebellions in the country.

Chadian forces helped propel President Francois Bozize into power in 2003 and they have assisted him in putting down past rebellions here.

"These forces - particularly the Chadians - have been there before," Cooke said. "They know the players, they have an interlocutor in Bozize however fragile he is. This is familiar territory to them."

The Economic Community of Central African States, or ECCAS, also already had established a peacekeeping force in Central African Republic known as MICOPAX.

"From the beginning, they knew that they needed to have troops on the ground. MICOPAX was already there, had already been deployed there. There was already a structure in place," said Thierry Vircoulon, project director for Central Africa at the International Crisis Group.

___

DIFFERING MOTIVATIONS

The rebels in Central African Republic are made up of four separate groups all known by their French acronyms - UFDR, CPJP, FDPC and CPSK. They are collectively known as Seleka, which means alliance in the local Sango language, but have previously fought one another. For instance, in September 2011 fighting between the CPJP and the UFDR left at least 50 people dead and more than 700 homes destroyed. Insurgent leaders say a 2007 peace accord allowing them to join the regular army wasn't fully implemented and are demanding payments to former combatants among other things. Rebel groups also feel the government has neglected their home areas in the north and particularly the northeast, said Filip Hilgert, a researcher with Belgium-based International Peace Information Service.

In northern Mali, the Islamist rebels are motivated in large part by religion. Al-Qaida fighters chant Quranic verses under the Sahara sun , displaying deep, ideological commitment. They consider north Mali as "Islamic territory" and say they will fight to the death to defend it. They also want to use the territory to expand the reach of al-Qaida-linked groups to other countries. This would seem to make other countries more motivated to intervene in Mali than in Central African Republic, but the challenges are so steep and convoluted that an intervention mission is still on the drawing board.

When News Breaks Out, We Break In. Minute by Minute Report on Cameroon and Africa