Cameroon: South West Embraces New Reconstruction Format to Drive Post-Crisis Recovery

By Boris Esono Nwenfor

BUEA, Cameroon – 234 projects have been completed in the South West Region within the framework of the Presidential Plan for Reconstruction and Development of the North West and South West Regions, PPRD-NW/SW.

The information was disclosed on Thursday, September 19 in Buea, capital of the South West, during the second Regional Follow-up Committee meeting of the PPRD chaired by the Regional Chairperson of the Follow-up Committee, Governor Bernard Okalia Bilai.

The South West, along with the North West Region, has borne the brunt of the violent conflict between separatist fighters and government forces over the past seven years. Thousands of people have been displaced, with entire communities left devastated by the fighting. The new reconstruction strategy represents a significant shift from previous top-down approaches, incorporating more inclusive measures that give local communities a larger role in rebuilding their towns and villages.

According to Minister Paul Tasong, PPRD-NW/SW Steering Committee Chairperson, the new dimension of the PPRD will strengthen local involvement, and increase the autonomy of councils and Regional Assemblies in development while receiving support from state stakeholders. The focus now, he said, is on decentralized local collectivizes, including local councils, Regional Assemblies, development missions and deconcentrated State services in piloting the councils to manage and lead the reconstruction and development of their communities.

Minister Paul Tasong said: “After four years of implementation of the PPRD, the orientations from the President of the Republic, His Excellency Paul Biya, are that we have to move several rungs up the ladder. Up to now, our attention was very focused on the recovery component of the PPRD. Now we have to go faster in the construction and development.”

“This I mean to say, I'm no longer just going to pay attention to the basic socio-economic challenges in a crisis. We are going to go into real development. And when I say we are going to go, it's not like we are going to start, but we are going to bring it to the core of the PPRD.”

“This is Limbe Deep Seaport, Limbe-Dwala railway line, Bikoko-Limbe-Idinau road reconstruction, and major structural projects in the North West and South West regions particularly,” Minister Paul Tasong added.

PPRD-NW/SW Steering Committee Chairperson told participants that the new phase will also include the inclusion of mayors in the Regional Follow-up Committee. Their presence, he added, will ensure proper project follow-up and accountability. The decentralization, the minister said, will ensure efficiency and inclusiveness in the selection, maturation, contract execution, monitoring and evaluation. Under the new dispensation, Minister Tasong sounded confident that the reconstruction plan would gain more visibility.

The President of the South West Regional Assembly, Bakoma Zachaeus Elango, hailed the changes in the reconstruction plan. The Regional Assembly boss said the South West Regional Assembly is ready to continue playing its role in boosting key project realisation like it has been doing before now.

The Director General, DG, of the South West Development Authority, SOWEDA, Dr Besong Orgork Ntui, similarly said his institution is anxious and ready to collaborate with the government and other stakeholders in the implementation of the project.

His Majesty Ita Ayamba Jacques, mayor of the Eyumokock Council in Manyu Division, said the involvement of local councils reaffirms governments' belief in their ability to power local development. He begged those charged with the plan to make provision for the establishment of lost documents, especially for those who fled insecurity to Nigeria. The municipal authority also said people need even capital to relaunch their businesses.

The changes come following Order No. 075/CAB/PM of 30 July 2024, signed by the Prime Minister, Head of Government, Chief Dr Joseph Dion Ngute. The Order mandated local and regional councils to play active roles in the implementation of projects under the PPRD.

For many, the new format of reconstruction is not just about rebuilding physical infrastructure—it’s about healing the scars left by the conflict. Community leaders emphasized that reconciliation must go hand-in-hand with reconstruction, calling for greater efforts to promote dialogue and peace-building initiatives alongside the reconstruction projects.