The Minister of Territorial Administration, Marafa Hamidou Yaya, has been emphasising the importance of the decentralisation process in Cameroon which has become a reality, calling on the different stakeholders to play their roles to permit the population to reap the benefits linked to the process.
A series of seminars to sensitise local administrators on the intricacies of the decentralisation process has been planned by MINATD.

According to officials of MINATD, the minister was in Garoua last week to launch the sensitisation seminar geared at creating an atmosphere of collaboration with the local administration on how to effectively institute the different structures for the better functioning of the process as prescribed by the Head of State, Paul Biya.

The implementation of the decentralisation process accordingly, entails the transfer of administration to local authorities like the districts, councils, and urban councils in line with article 55 of law no 96/06 of 18 January 1996 that revised the constitution of 2 June1972.

Decentralisation Concept
According to officials in MINATD, decentralisation entails sharing of power between the state and local collectivities or administration according to established modalities and the political history of every country. In the political, administrative, economic and social construction of the state, decentralisation is seen as a factor that consolidates democracy, reinforces state management and development of local territorial units.

According to the Decentralisation law of 1994 in Cameroon, the policy envisages two major objectives, reinforces and deepening the democratic process by adapting the administration and generally the institutional framework to the objective of political pluralism to permit for the growth of local democracy. It also entails the promotion of local and regional development through the encouragement of self initiative of the different stakeholders and the putting in place of a new development paradigm in relation to the available recourses, the know-how and initiatives of the population etc.

Like all political constructions, however, the decentralisation process as defined by the policy of the Head of State has its challenges which entail that its implementation takes a gradual but sure process for the envisaged objectives to be met. These include promoting local democracy, reinforcing local autonomy, encouraging the advent of local but result-oriented administration, guaranteeing the full participation of all citizens in local management of its affairs.

Functioning Of Decentralised Administration
According to the law, “Decentralised territorial collectivities are moral entities with legal rights. They are entitled to administrative and financial autonomy for the better management of regional or local interest. They are administered freely by an elected board according to conditions stipulated by the law”.

The decentralised territorial collectivities, according to the Director of the unit, Owono Owono Etienne, are public services subject to control and evaluation by the competent service of the state according to the law in force.

The executive of any decentralised unit is answerable to the counselors who deliberate on all relevant issues within its competence like the execution of the budget, the examination of the programmes and projects.

According to the law, the political control of the executive is done by vote or reject of the budget, administrative account or any annex documents like plan of action etc.

Political sanctions against the head of the executive like mayors can go to the extent of vote of no confidence by the counselors in an extra-ordinary session. A 2/3 vote by the counselors suffices to reach a decision of suspension of the mayor or his assistants as soon as it is adopted. The vote is executed by a ministerial decree.