Major National Dialogue: Implementating recommendations evaluated two years on (3)

By Hilltopvoices

The Prime Minister and head of government Chief Dr Dion Ngute has rounded up a visit to the South West region where he has maintained that efforts are continue on the side of government to ensure that peace returns to the North West and South West regions. During public and private meerimhs, the Prime Minister shared with all the distance covered this far after the Major National Dialogue (MND)

Cross section of participants at the MND

 

The MND it should be recalled brought together Goverment officials, political and civil society leaders, Religious and traditional authorities, diplomatic missions as well as members of the dispora from September 30 to October 4 2019/at the conference center in Yaoundé Cameroon "to seek ways and means of meeting the high aspirations of the people of the North-West and SouthWest Regions as top priority following the transformation of corporate claims by lawyers and teachers to civil disobedience and now a full blown armed conflict. 

September 30 2021 marks exactly two years when the event kicked off with the Prime Minister Chief Dr Dion Ngute chairing deliberations.

In a compendium published on the second anniversary of the MND which the government considers a high point and not end point in the dialogue process in Cameroon, the office of the Prime Minister charged with the organisation, assembling of recommendations of the MND and followup for implementation has published a situational report which generally scores high indicated what efforts have been made or are being made to implement the MND recommendations. 

The Compendium first examines government's actions towards handling the cooperate complains by teachers and lawyers and concludes with specifics that came out of the MND. 

Excerpt of Compendium

Implementation of recommendations of the major National Dialogue 

Accelerate Local Governance and Decentralization. (Complete/Ongoing) 

Promulgation of Law 2019/024 on the General Code of Decentralized Local Authorities. -Election and setting up of Regional Assemblies and Special Status to the SW and NW. -Creation of the National School of Local Administration and appointment of Officials. Creation of the Ministry of Decentralisation and Local Development.

Adoption of budgets of Regional Councils

 

Appointment and installation of Public Independent Conciliators -Drafting of enabling decrees for the transfer of powers to Regions.

Allocation of 30billion francs CFA for the functioning of Regional Councils, pursuant to instructions of the President of the Republic.

Materialisation of 15% of State revenue to Regional and Local Authorities

Elaborated, forwarded and defended the signing of the decree on the transfer of power to the Regions regarding Youth and Civic education; -Finalization of specifications for the project on the modalities for the transfer of power to the Regions concerning youth and civic education; Transferred 1, 639 191 000 frs cfa to MINDDEVEL for the realization of MINJEC competencies transferred to it.

Promote Bilingualism, and Community Social Cohesion. (Complete) 

Creation of National Commission for the Promotion of Bilingualism and Multiculturalism. Enactment of Bilingualism Law. Enactment of law to punish tribal Hate Speech.

 

Training on fight against Hate Speech and Xenophobia. 

Institution of “Bilingual Day” in some ministries. Appointments of Police Officers to posts of responsibility taking into account cultural diversity. Organisation of educational talks with 30 journalists on the consequences of hate speech on our national peace and security, in collaboration with EU and MINCOM.

Organisation of sensitization campaigns in secondary schools, Universities and out of school to promote civic education and national integration through the programs “”Citizens and Patriotic returns”.Organized a project on the consolidation of peace by the UN -handing of 1,325 installation equipments to youths; handing over of cheques with 3.5 billion frs cfa to young beneficiaries of PTS-youth.

-Sensitization of local communities to welcome IDPs from NW and SW Regions 

-Launch of best photography and graphic presentation competition

Consequences of hatred and violence on young people. -Training of 21 women and 57 girls (IDPs) in the Far North on sewing; 76 women, 78 children and girls, and 44 men on the storage and transformation of cereals in the Far North Region; -Counting and supervision of 5,000 IDPs from the NW and SW Regions and training 40 persons in the reception of IDPs; -Creation 4 reception centers (2 for NW and 2 for SW Regions), and providing psycho-social support to women who are victims of gender-based violence in the NW and SW Regions.

 

Reconstruction of the Crisis Affected Regions. (On going) 

 Creation and implementation of a Presidential Plan for the Reconstruction and Development of the North West and South West Regions.

 

Follow up the Implementation of the Recommendations of the Major National Dialogue. (On going)

 

Creation of a Follow-up Committee by Presidential Decree No. 2020/136. Reintegration of Ex- Combatants. 

Creation of National Committee for Demobilization Reintegration Combatants. Disarmament, and of Ex-

 

Creation of an inter-ministerial Committee for Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism. 

Reintegration of Ex- Combatants. (Complete) 

Adoption of an operational communication strategy which includes: website, presence on social media, broadcasting programmes on television and on radio and through videoconferencing, producing flyers, making documentaries among others.

Offering psychosocial, spiritual and physical help to repentant fighters through de-intoxication programmes at the 3 centre in Bamenda, Buea and Mora. Contacting of families of terrorists to persuade them drop arms; Financing of youth projects on animal breeding in DDR centers in NW and Far North (23,000 000 each), SW Regions 21,000 000;

Elaboration of the Moral Rearmament project of ex- combatants, and specific mechanism for socio-economic reintegration of in DDR centers.

 

Security and humanitarian assistance measures 

Release of arrested persons.

Discontinuance of proceedings against

 

Offer of amnesty to repentant combatants.

Presidential offer of amnesty to combatants in the North West and South West willing to drop their arms and join the peace process. -Release of 7018 detainees. 

Management of Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons.

 Setting up of the Emergency Humanitarian Assistance Plan for the North West and South West (EHAP-NW/SW).

Issuing of identification cards and other lost or destroyed documents to IDPs

Distribution of presidential relief supplies to over 3,000 IDPs and 600 ex-refugees in the SW. -Social-economic inclusion of 90 IDPs in Adamaoua, Far North, Centre and West regions; -Financed 106 IDP youth projects in the NW Region (94, 716 389) frs cfa, and 61 for SW Region for (94, 991 053) frs cfa;

-Equipped 3 Multi-media Centres for the Promotion of youths in the North West, and 1 in the SW Region, (10,000 000) frs cfa each; -Installed Multi-media Youth Promotion Centres under the program CMPJ-incubator (7, 583 953) frs cfa;

 

 Installation of 10 youth promoters in pioneer villages (8 in the NWR and 2 in the SWR. -Training of 2052 women from NWR in ICT, literacy, project management and the manufacturing of liquid soap; -Training of 1,480 women and girls from the NW and SW Regions on income-generating activities, -Training of 134 refugees (women and women) on sewing, small business, breeding and agriculture in Adamaoua region;

Training of 80 needy women in the North West Region on sewing and manufacturing of antiseptic soap and hand sanitizers, and providing them with 40 sewing machines. 

Security of inhabitants of crisis affected citie law and order -Civilo-military operations in schools, hospitals and markets

 

Repairing of the Social Fabric

Strengthen bilingualism.(On going)

Order for the Special Recruitment of 500 Translators and Translator- Interpreters into the Public Service. -Bilingual Broadcast of Prime Time Radio Newscast (5pm-6pm)

 

Mandatory use of English and French languages by Cabinet members in all public events. Translation of documents from English to French and vice versa, and the speaking of English and French by staff of the police during public security operations

Back to school drive. (On going) 

Significant increase in the number of students going back to school during the opening of the school year, despite the Covid-19 pandemic.

-Setting up of a Special Fund of CFAF 2 billion to private secular and denominational schools in the North- West and South-West Regions.

Free school enrolment for IDPS.

Increase recruitment of English-speaking magistrates and Court Registers. (Complete) 

 With the Special authorisation of the Head of State, came the Integration of the first crop of 250 Common Law Magistrates following deliberations of the Supreme Magistracy Council by Decree N° 2020/430. 150 Court Registers were recruited, and other judicial staff. Training of third batch 2019-2021, fourth batch 2020-2022 and the result of the fifth batch, 2021-2023 published.

Return of traditional rulers to their constituencies. (Complete) 

Consultations with the Minister of Territorial Administration. House of Chiefs put in place so as to get collaboration of traditional rulers for return to normalcy.

 

Economic measures (Complete)

Support small business owners in the crisis affected Regions. 

Decree N°2019/3179/PM to grant the status of economic disaster areas to the Far-North, North-West and South-West Regions.

90 day tax breaks accorded to businesses to assuage the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on small and medium size enterprises. 

Adoption of a refreshed National Development Among others. 

From all indications, it shows the government is striving for peace to reinstated, in the North West and South West Regions. Could separatist leaders and fighters give a chance for peace to reign.