" If you want to serve people ,use every opportunity you have! "

-Dr Amos Namanga Ngongi, President of Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa

Dr Amos Namanga Ngongi is a former Deputy Executive Director of the World Food Program. He dutifully served the United Nations for 19 years in various capacities and retired in 2003 while in Democratic Republic of Congo as the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-Genera. Upon his return to Cameroon, President Paul Biya recognized Dr Ngongi’s drive for transparency and good governance and appointed him a member of the country’s national commission to fight corruption. But After serving for several months, Dr Ngongi resigned to take up a much more challenging job as president of Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) with residence in Kenya. During a brief stop in his village in Buea, Dr Ngongi talked about his new job and more to Recorder Editor Christopher Ambe Shu. Excerpts:

You are president of Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA). What is it all about and what prompted its creation?

It was created as a response to persistent calls by African leaders for assistance from the international community to support its agricultural development. The African Union met in Maputo in 2003 and resolved to make every effort to increase their own budgetary support for agriculture from the low level of 3-4% that was at that time to 10% of their national budget. Regrettably, very few countries have reached that 10% target
But in any case, Bill and Melinda Foundation and the Rockefeller Foundation decided to create an alliance with African governments, farmers and African institutions to be able to make a contribution to develop agriculture in Africa, though a program for productivity increases, small holders farmers’ scheme

How do countries benefit from AGRA?
First of all, AGRA does not just give money to countries. AGRA at its initiation carried out studies in Africa and identified 13 countries out of the sub-Saharan countries that it could start with, which include Malawi, Zambia, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Ethiopia.Ghana, Nigeria, Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso. Those are the initial countries in which AGRA is working .It will expand to other countries as need arises or as countries enter into the AGRA program. But that decision is taken by the board of directors of AGRA, who meet regularly and examines the potentials of expanding the programs of AGRA.

For how long has AGRA been operating and so far what are its achievements?

It has been operating now-unfortunately, for two years with the 13 countries that I earlier mentioned. It first program was that of improving African Seed systems, to train African plant breeders, to support in providing new crop variety, to support African seed companies and help establish them so that they can produce and multiply those seeds and to set up a distribution system through agro-dealers who will bring the seeds to small holder- farmers.

There are about 60 students who are doing masters degrees and PhD in about eight African universities; we have plant breeders who have been supported in African research institutions to produce seeds.

Last year alone there were some 53 varieties of seed, which were released in the countries that we are supporting. We are also supporting the seed companies in which our initial stage-one full year, last year was 1500 metric tons of improved seeds of maize, rice. That is already a phenomenal increase in African Capacity to produce seeds.

And some 2000 agro-dealers have been trained and even empowered to access loans in credits institutions so that they can stock sufficient quantities of agricultural products-seeds, fertilisers, insecticides, and pesticides to be able to have them accessible to farmers. And also we have worked with commercial banks to be able to leverage financial credits in banking systems to give loans to farmers.

In fact, in Kenya alone we and the International Fund for Agricultural Development we put together a guarantee fund of five million dollars and we leveraged $50 million from Equity Bank to be able to put bit at the disposal of agro-dealers and farmers. In Tanzania, we started with one million dollars and we leveraged five million dollars in the national finance bank to give credits to their farmers.

In March we will be making a major announcement. We have negotiated with a major bank in South Africa to leverage up to $200million.I think it is a lesson for us in Africa to be able to use our own resources in Africa to finance African agriculture rather than only running round the world asking for help. Of course, donors will continue to help Africa but Africa should also use its own resources to help itself.

When you retired from the UN you came back to Cameroon and expressed your readiness to help develop Cameroon. One of the ways you wanted to do this was to contest election for the post of mayor of Buea, but unfortunately you were denied the opportunity. Now that you have got another international job with residence in Kenya, how do Cameroonians especially Buea residents benefit from you?

Oh, there are many ways to serve a population. You can serve in a public office or you can serve in your private capacity. There are many to serve a population. It is not just occupying a political office, through which you can serve.

So if you are to help people you can put ideas together, bring people together to be able to achieve a common objective without necessarily being in a political office. At least in my little village of Bonalyonga here in Buea, we have formed a development committee, which has been registered and approved by the administration. We are looking forward to pooling our resources together to establish our own community center, to bring people together, to have indoor games, to have access to computers and other little things that can improve and give dynamism to a community.
You don’t have to be in a public office before you do that, but public office gives you an opportunity to be able to do it at a larger scale. If you want to work for people you use every opportunity wherever you are to do that. Where I am now if AGRA is able to extend its activities to Cameroon that would be an achievement-a great help to Cameroon.
But that is not my individual decision, but that of the board of directors of AGRA. So there will be missions coming to Cameroon to see the conditions of intervention. And if their recommendations are approved by the board then that will bring some additional benefit to the country, including Buea.

When you retired from the UN and came back to Cameroon the head of State Paul Biya recognized your drive for transparency and governance and appointed you one of the members of the national commission to fight against corruption. Now that you are resident in Kenya how do you help this fight to succeed?
Well, first of all, I was honored by the appointment made by the head of state. For the eleven months that I was there I did discharge my duties as best as I could. But unfortunately by accepting an appointment out of the country I had to resign from the anti-corruption commission.
But no body can stop the efforts made by the government to try to fight corruption.

The intentions are clear. But as you all know it is more the implementation that depends on human beings like you and me that can really bring results. It is more on the dynamism of implementing those decisions taken by the president; he has decided to fight corruption and has made several public pronouncements on that. I don’t think any body can fault those pronouncements.
Now, how to be able to turn it into reality, you can see that many people at high places have been arrested, tried and imprisoned. Whether the pace is fast enough is another question. May be it is not just the arrest of people but the institutionalization of the notion of probity –that is having people who discharge their duties for public interest.

For Cameroon to have been declared two- time champion of corruption meant that we were really high at the corruption index list.
Hopefully, with all these efforts people will be more conscious of the public need for probity and the judgment of the population at large of their actions. What you journalists are doing is also helpful by naming and shaming people. At least it helps to reduce the degree of corruption.
In as much as you are out of the country you are a CPDM militant and patriotic .I understand, you follow with keen interest events in Cameroon. Recently President Biya appointed ELECAM members and has since been drawing sharp criticisms from home and abroad for not respecting legal provisions in the his appointment. What is your reaction to the ELECAM appointment?

When I came to the country in 2003 every body was calling for the creation of an independent electoral body. The body, ELECAM, has been created. Now the criticisms are on the membership of ELECAM.Let us separate two things.

The creation of ELECAM is a wonderful opportunity. It creates an environment that potentially should lead to transparent, free and fair elections.

We should first of all be thankful that this body was created. Virtually, there is no Cameroonian who does not belong to a political party. We have over 100 political parties in Cameroon, so it will be difficult to find a Cameroonian who does not belong to a political party. Once you appoint people who are prominent in a party into ELECAM it is for them now to take the oath of office and it is their own personal integrity that would make them respect their oath of office. In fact, that is what we should judge.

We should not judge from where people are coming. Let us hope that the people who have been appointed will live up to the aspirations of Cameroonians. No body quarrels with the duties. So if they are able to live up to the spirit of the duties as stated by the law, then wherever they come from will not be something to be questioned. People should judge it from the results rather than before.

Cameroon is classified as a rich country both in terms of human and natural resources, but Cameroonians are poor. What do you think is the problem?

Well, potential is potential until it is touched, transformed and developed. We have the potentials-we have the land, good climate, geograpic differences, sufficient water for most of the country etc, but all of that have to be developed. If you are living where is diamond but you don’t realize that it is diamond, then it is worthless. Until somebody discovers it and starts using it then you will realize it is wealth. Until we (Cameroon) transform what we have into wealth we will remain poor. We have to set ourselves up to use our resources properly. It is not by accident that some other countries are able to move ahead. It is by orgainisation, structural changes -by putting people in place who are able to transform potentials into realities.

NB:First Published in The RECORDER newspaper,Cameroon,of Jan.29,2009

Cameroon:Is Biya soliciting Pope’s Blessing to cling to power?

By Chritopher Ambe Shu

Pope Benedict XVI will next March 17 come to Cameroon as part of his first pastoral visit to Africa since he became pope in April 2005, it has been confirmed. The confirmation was made January 26 during a press conference in Yaounde by the president of the National Episcopal Conference and Archbishop of Yaounde, Victor Tonye Bankot.
On arrival, President Paul Biya will gladly receive the pope at the Yaounde Airport
Picture: Pope Benedict XVI

The German-born Benedict is scheduled to have audience with President Paul Biya at Unity Pace, during which, it is widely hoped, there will be frank exchanges between the Pope and the President on matters of good governance, human rights, moral and democratic values.
The Papal visit to Cameroon is coming at a time when President Biya’s image is badly battered and soiled for socio-economic and political reasons, begging for cleansing.

The Presidency of Cameroon had earlier announced that, the Pope’s coming to Cameroon was also at the invitation of the Head of State, suggesting that President Biya, himself a staunch catholic, may, after all, want to confide in the pontiff and seek his blessings in his leadership and apparent bid to stand for reelection in 2011.

Many political pundits consider Biya’s leadership as “undemocratic and anti-people” even though the president has always claimed he is bent on modernizing and democratizing Cameroon.

Picture: Paul Biya
Biya, who has ruled Cameroon for some 26 years, for example, still got his crushing majority in Parliament last year to amend the country’s constitution, removing term limits, against popular protest at home and abroad. The move was interpreted as Biya’s intention to become life president. His current and second seven- year mandate is expected to end in 2011.Again, late last year Biya appointed several CPDM diehards as members of ELECAM and has since been widely criticized for not respecting the law which calls for the appointment of independent personalities. But the president does not seem to bother about the criticisms.

In Cameroon, the pope will also meet with bishops, Muslim authorities and celebrate an open-air mass at the Ahmadou Ahidjo Stadium in Yaounde.
The Pope leaves Cameroon on March 20 for Angola’s capital, Luanda. Benedict XVI will not be the first pope to visit Cameroon in recent memory.

Pope Benedict’s predecessor Pope John Paul II had visited Cameroon twice -in 1985, and in September 1995 at the celebration phase of the African Synod.

And in his departure speech at Yaoundé airport on 16 September 1995,after his three-day visit, Pope John Paul II had called on Cameroonians “in positions of authority in public life and business… to contribute to removing the obstacles, which still impede the development that ought to benefit their compatriots”. He strongly remarked, “My visit to Cameroon has enabled me to see the many material and spiritual gifts which the Almighty God has poured out upon your country”
But despite Cameroon’s abundant natural and human resources a majority of its citizens still live in abject poverty as corruption, emblezzement of public funds by holders of public office, unemployment are at record high.
Cameroon recently emerged twice as the most corrupt country in the world, according to Transparency International, a Berlin –based good governance watchdog.

These social ills that are so rife in Cameroon are not unknown to Pope Benedict XVI
That is why on receiving Cameroon’s Ambassador to the Holy See last year, Pope Benedict XVI seriously warned the Biya regime to contain corruption, which has eaten deep into the fabric of this central African country

The Pope is coming to Cameroon at a time when even the country’s Catholic Church is known to be critical of the Biya regime, for not doing much to improve the lot of citizens The Catholic Church in Cameroon has in the last two decades had several of its priests murdered in mysterious circumstances, prompting the Vatican to call on the Cameroon government to carry out investigations so to prosecute the killers, but results of such probes are hardly made public.

Electoral Commission: Pillar of Ghana’s Successful Democracy

By Tazoacha Asonganyi,Yaounde.

National sovereignty in all countries is supposed to belong to the people who exercise it through their representatives.
The people choose their representatives through elections which should be credible, free, genuine and democratic.

Ghana has been hailed for the manner in which the sovereignty of the Ghanaian people was exercised in choosing not only members of parliament but also the present president of Ghana.

Indeed, in spite of several recent failures in other countries, Ghana succeeded with brio in December 2008 to carry out what has been described as free, fair and transparent elections in which the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) lost control of both parliament and the presidency to the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC).

The elections were managed from the registration of voters through supervision of the polls to the proclamation of results by the Ghanaian Electoral Commission.Following the appointment of members of Elections Cameroon (ELECAM) that has caused much ink and saliva to flow in Cameroon, it is appropriate to compare and contrast it with the Ghanaian Commission that is the pillar of the successful democracy being hailed in Ghana today.
The Ghanaian Electoral Commission is the institution in the Constitution that ensures the people’s right to vote.

The composition, qualification, terms and conditions of service of its members, as well as its functions and its independence are all well defined in the 1992 Constitution of Ghana. It has 7 members including a Chairman, 2 deputy Chairmen, and four other members.
This is not the case in Cameroon where ELECAM is not one of the institutions in the Cameroon Constitution of 1996.

A person is qualified to be appointed a member of the commission if he or she is qualified to be elected as a member of parliament (is a citizen of Ghana, is aged at least 21 years, is registered as a voter, has paid all taxes).

The Chairman has the same terms and conditions of service as an Appeal Court Judge (serves until retirement at 70, salary and allowances, immunity…) while his two deputies have the same terms and conditions of service of a High Court Judge (retirement at 65, salary and allowances, immunity…); the other four members earn allowances as Parliament may determine; they serve until they retire at the civil service retirement age!
They are all appointed by the President of Ghana after consultation with the Council of State and approval by Parliament.

All this can be compared to what obtains in ELECAM: it is an outfit created at the whim of the President; and members have a term of 4 years renewable at the pleasure of the President!

As for the Director General of ELECAM who in fact is in charge of performing all the duties devolved to ELECAM, he is appointed by the president alone, and serves at his pleasure! Remunerations and allowances of members of ELECAM are determined by… decree of the President!
The Ghanaian Electoral Commission has the following functions: compile the register of voters and revise it at such periods as may be determined by law; demarcate the electoral boundaries for both national and local elections; conduct and supervise all public elections and referenda; educate the people on the electoral process and its purpose; perform such other functions as may be prescribed by law.
Such other functions now include the registration of political parties, the reception of the declaration of assets of political parties and their officials, the reception of the annual statements of the audited accounts of political parties, as well as applying to the High Court for the dissolution of any recalcitrant political party…

The Constitution of Ghana also states that "except as provided in this Constitution or in any other law not inconsistent with this Constitution, in the performance of its functions, the Electoral Commission shall not be subject to the direction or control of any person or authority..."

In Cameroon, members of ELECAM "shall under no circumstances give or receive instructions or orders from public or private authority during the performance of their duties"!
If ELECAM cannot give instructions, it is not supreme in the organisation and management of elections!
Further, unlike in Ghana where the Electoral Commission is really independent, in Cameroon "the Minister in charge of Territorial Administration and Decentralisation shall ensure permanent liaison between government and ELECAM; in this respect, the latter shall submit copies of minutes and progress reports to him..."!

Following Parliamentary and Presidential elections, votes at each polling station are counted by agents of the Ghana Election Commission in the presence of representatives of candidates and the general public. It is the returning officer appointed by the Commission in each single-candidate constituency that gives the total number of votes cast for each candidate in the constituency and publicly declares elected to Parliament, the candidate who scores the highest votes.
As for the Presidential election, it is the Ghana Electoral Commission that declares the candidate who wins using "an instrument which is executed under the hand of the Chairman of the Commission, and states that the person named in the instrument is declared elected as president of Ghana at the election of the President".
In Cameroon, ELECAM is only allowed to "publish presidential election, legislative, and senate election trends"; it forwards "election reports to the Constitutional Council or bodies provided for by law"!
In Ghana, the Electoral Commission is constitutionally bound to do its work properly and free from interference; in Cameroon, all is put in place for ELECAM to "fail" if trends are not favourable to the prince: "where ELECAM is duly established to be incompetent by the Constitutional Council, the President of the Republic shall under section 5 of the Constitution, take the requisite corrective measure...".
As for the reason and timing of such a grave decision, only the President of the Republic (a probable candidate himself) knows!Overall, the Ghanaian Electoral Commission and ELECAM are like night and day.
ELECAM is so gagged that it is really doubtful that it can conduct and supervise free and fair elections, like the Ghanaian Commission.
It seems that like NEO before it, ELECAM has been programmed to fail!

Ghana’s Successful Elections

By Tazoacha Asonganyi in Yaounde.

As a Carter Centre short term observer for the rerun of the Ghanaian presidential election, I had the opportunity to get acquainted with the electoral process and to visit several polling stations on Election Day. Added to my understanding of the failed electoral system in Cameroon, I am in a position to highlight certain points of interest.

Ghana has a population of 22 million; there were some 12.4 million registered voters aged 18 years and above. Each registered voter was issued a voter’s card upon registration which bore the name of the voter, date of birth, the polling station at which the voter would cast his/her vote, the photograph of the voter and the serial number of the voter in the electoral register. The registers were computerized and controlled centrally by the Electoral Commission; they were arranged in constituencies and polling stations.

An NGO, CODE Incorporated (Code.Inc, Ottawa, Canada) seemed to have helped in registering the Ghanaian voters and providing the election material because the electoral registers and voter’s cards met the description CODE.Inc gave us in 2004; and the indelible ink that was used at polling stations bore their label. It would be remembered that agents of CODE.Inc visited Cameroon in March 2004 and offered to register 7 million voters within some 2 months at the cost of about 2 billion FCFA. Although they demonstrated the registration process by registering some of us and issuing a registration card within less than 2 minutes each, their proposal was turned down by the Ministry of Territorial Administration. In any case, in Ghana, the Electoral Commission was solely in charge of identifying such an agent and engaging it for the registration of voters and the provision of the materials for the election.

There were 22000 polling stations in 230 constituencies. In each constituency, there was a returning officer appointed by the Electoral Commission. Further, at each polling station there was a presiding officer appointed by the Electoral Commission plus three other commissioners. Each candidate had at least one representative in the polling station. There were also international and local election observers and at least one security officer. My partner and I in our team of two were at a polling station in Adenta Constituency in Greater Accra Region at 6.30 am to observe the opening formalities.

The ballot boxes were transparent. Before voting started at 7 am, material that included ballot papers, counting sheets to keep track of male and female voters, indelible ink, voting booths, ink for thumb printing and other necessary material were verified and the ballot boxes were opened and shown to the hundreds of voters that had lined up at the polling station since 3 – 4 am. Once the emptiness of the ballot box was ascertained by the voters, the box was closed and the presiding officer placed his seal such that the box could not be opened without breaking the seal; the polling agents of candidates could also place their seals after that of the commission had been affixed.

Following the opening formalities, voters then came before the commission one after the other for identification and the casting of their votes. There was a single ballot paper that bore the name, photograph or symbol of each candidate; each ballot had a number printed on it and had attached to it a counterfoil with the same number printed on it. Each voter was required to produce a voter identification card or such other evidence as could prove that the person was the registered voter with the particulars in the register.

Before a ballot was delivered to a voter, it was stamped on the back with an official sign of the commission. A mark was then placed against the name of the voter in the register to indicate that a ballot paper had been used. The index finger of the voter was then soaked in indelible ink. Voting involved secretly placing a thumb print against the candidate of the voter’s choice. The ballot paper was then folded and the vote was cast by putting it in the ballot box in the presence of the presiding officer and the polling agents, and in full view of the public. All the polling stations we visited were in the open air. No envelopes were required.

We were at another polling station in the same constituency at 4.30 pm to observe the closing formalities and the counting process. At the close of the poll at 5 pm the seals were broken and the ballots poured on the table and counted; a declaration of the counts was signed by the presiding officer and representatives of candidates. The results were then publicly announced by the presiding officer and a copy of the declaration was given to the representative of each candidate. Further, all the counted ballots were returned to the ballot box and seals were affixed again by the commission and the representatives of candidates. Unused, spoilt and rejected ballots as well as the counterfoils of used ballots and the electoral registers and records were sealed apart, and all were forwarded to the returning officer of the Constituency.

The ruling party (New Patriotic Party – NPP) candidate for the rerun of the presidential election was Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo who seemed to enjoy the advantages of his party’s incumbency, had larger posters and seemed to be preferred by the Daily Graphic, "Ghana’s largest selling paper since 1950", which was very available within the circles of international observers. The other candidate was Prof John Evans Atta Mills of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC). The outgoing president John Kufuor voted at around 11 am; we were present at the polling station when he cast his vote, although it was out of Adenta constituency. After voting, he indicated on the solicitation of dozens of journalists that there were two sides of the divide and he belonged to one, so he would be happy if the candidate of his side won. Following the national vote tally by the Electoral Commission, his candidate lost. The opposition NDC candidate Atta Mills
won and is now the President of Ghana.

Such an outcome would have been impossible if such a close elections was not managed by an independent electoral commission, headed by an experienced Chairman like Dr Kwadwo Afari-Gyan. If he had to forward the trends to another body controlled by the outgoing President, not to talk of one of the candidates, the trends would probably have been reversed and the ruling party candidate would have won.

Paul Biya knows like John Kufuor in Ghana that he belongs to one side of the divide and would like the candidate of his side (probably himself) to win. But unlike Kufuor who had no control over Ghana’s Electoral Commission, Biya has full control over ELECAM. This is why ELECAM is incapable of organising the type of successful elections we just witnessed in Ghana because the seeds of its own failure have been planted in the ELEAM law and its subsequent application.

IMF Board Completes Sixth and Final Review Under PRGF Arrangement with Cameroon and Approves US$4.1 Million Disbursement

The Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on January 9 ,2009 completed the sixth review of Cameroon's economic performance under the three-year Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility (PRGF). The completion of the review allows for the final disbursement of an amount equivalent to SDR 2.67 million (about US$4.1 million).

The Executive Board also completed the financing assurances review and granted a waiver for the nonobservance of the performance criterion related to the non-oil primary fiscal balance in view of corrective steps taken.

The three-year PRGF arrangement for Cameroon was approved by the Executive Board on October 24, 2005 (see Press Release No. 05/236) in an amount equivalent to SDR 18.57 million (about US$28.5 million). With the completion of the fifth review, the arrangement had been extended through January 31, 2009 (see Press Release No. 08/154).

Following the Executive Board discussion, Mr. John Lipsky, First Deputy Managing Director and acting chair, said:

"The Cameroon authorities are to be commended for the good fiscal performance and stable macroeconomic environment achieved under the PRGF arrangement. Nonetheless, economic growth has been below expectations, and downside risks have increased because of declining oil prices and the deteriorating global economic environment. The authorities' renewed commitment to accelerate growth-oriented policies and reforms, while safeguarding fiscal sustainability, is therefore welcome.

"With oil revenue declining, the authorities face the difficult challenge of preserving a sustainable fiscal position while protecting priority spending. Their ability to mobilize non-oil revenue will be critical, and the revenue measures included in the 2009 budget are welcome. Additional measures may be needed should oil revenue be less than budgeted.

"The authorities' efforts to improve the quality and effectiveness of public spending are also welcome. Lowering transfers and subsidies and redeploying resources to priority spending will be critical. More generally, the authorities' intention to prepare investment projects in a medium-term context and to monitor carefully the implementation of the new framework budget law is appropriate.

"Prudent debt management should remain a priority in the post-debt relief period. The planned new debt management strategy that complies with CEMAC regional guidelines should be implemented swiftly.

"Accelerating economic growth requires decisive implementation of key structural reforms. The authorities are committed to further strengthening the financial sector and liberalizing foreign trade. More resolute public enterprise reforms and improvements in the business environment would help to consolidate gains in economic efficiency and open opportunities for private investment," Mr. Lipsky said.

The PRGF is the IMF's concessional facility for low-income countries. PRGF loans carry an annual interest rate of 0.5 percent and are repayable over 10 years with a 5½-year grace period on principal payments.

Courtesy:IMF Press Release No. 09/04 of January 9, 2009

Ghana president takes office after tense election

By FRANCIS KOKUTSE

ACCRA, Ghana (AP) — Ghana's new president took office Wednesday following a peaceful but tense election that secured the country's status as one of the continent's few stable democracies.
Tens of thousands of people crowded Independence Square for the inauguration of John Atta Mills(pictured at swearing -in ), the opposition candidate who won the runoff election with 50.23 percent of the vote. It was the closest election in the West African country's history.
This marked the second time power in Ghana has been transferred from one legitimately elected leader to another, which experts say proves democracy has matured after an era of coups and dictatorship in the 1970s and 1980s.
But tensions still ran high during this election; some had feared violence could erupt.
Residents of the tiny western district of Tain were unable to take part in the Dec. 28 nationwide runoff because not enough ballots were distributed. A makeup vote was held there Jan. 2 despite the ruling party's attempts to stop it, and Atta Mills widened his lead from 50.13 percent of the vote to 50.23 percent.
The ruling party candidate, Nana Akufo-Addo, had threatened to reject the results but withdrew his court challenges and conceded Saturday.
On Wednesday, Ghanaians attending the inauguration festivities seemed glad the contest had ended peacefully.
"I want to see a united Ghana. Whatever happened in the past must be forgotten," said Percy Amoah, 41. "I also do not want any Ghanaian child to go to school under a tree."
Most Ghanaians remain among the world's poorest people, earning an average of $3.80 a day. A tenth of the adult population is unemployed and 40 percent are illiterate.
Ghana is the world's No. 2 cocoa producer and the recent discovery of oil is eventually expected to bring in between $2 billion and $3 billion a year. But Atta Mills will have to struggle with the effects of a global economic downturn, and the poor are already complaining that wealth is not trickling down.
Atta Mills, 64, served as vice president under Jerry Rawlings, a former coup leader who stepped down in 2001, and he must dispel any notion his rule will hark back to Rawlings' strongman era. This election was the third time Atta Mills has run for president.
He spent much of his career teaching at the University of Ghana and served as the country's tax chief under Rawlings. He earned a doctorate from London's School of Oriental and African Studies before becoming a Fulbright scholar at Stanford University in Palo Alto, California.

Courtesy:Associated Press(AP)

Cameroon:CDP urges Biya To dissolve ELECAM for lack of credibility

By Christopher Ambe Shu

Chief A .S Ngwana(pictured) Chairman of Cardinal Democratic Party(CDP) in Cameroon has called on President Paul Biya to dissolve ELECAM,which is supposed to be an independent Electoral commission but is not! Biya recently appointed a majority of his ruling CPDM members to serve as Board of Governors of ELECAM contrary to the law which calls for the appointment of independent personalities.
According to sub-paragraph 11 article 13 of the December 29, 2006 law creating ELECAM, “the post of chairperson, the vice chair and members of the electoral council are incompatible to functions or quality…of a member belonging to a political party or a group supporting a political party, a candidate or list of candidates”. It states that the appointment of members into the electoral council of ELECAM are chosen from amongst Cameroonian personalities known for their competence, moral integrity, intellectual honesty, sense of patriotism and their spirit of neutrality and impartiality.

"ELECAM is not an Independent Electoral Neutral body to conduct any elections in Cameroon, but an organ of the CPDM, a tool in the hands of Paul Biya, to guarantee his life presidency",argued the CDP chair.

Chief Ngwana was addresing a press conference on January 6, 2009 in the Conference Hall of Akwa Palace,Douala-Cameroon ,in reaction to the appointment of ELECAM management team.He also nailed Biya and his ruling party in his speech.

Below is his speech to the independent and state-owned media which was sanctioned by a question -and answer session
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++


Distinguished members of the media,
I welcome you here today to wish you a Happy and prosperous New Year and to ask God to bless you in your difficult task of decimating information accurately, enlightening and educating the public and exposing crimes fearlessly. In fact, as the fourth organ of the realm, after the Executive, the Legislature and the Judiciary, you are indispensable to any democratic dispensation.

Since 1960 when French Cameroon achieved Independence as the Republic of Cameroon, and 1961 when British Southern Cameroon united with the Republic of Cameroon to form the Federal Republic of Cameroon, Cameroon has never practiced democracy or understood what free and fair elections means.

Southern British Cameroon which later became West Cameroon, understood and practiced democracy. In a free and fair election there was a change of Government from the CPNC Government of Dr. E.L.M. Endeley to the opposition KNDP government of Dr. J.N. Foncha

From 1961 to 1972 When Cameroon was a Federation, West Cameroon, practiced democracy with all its attributes of fair and free elections, respect for human rights, the rule of law, and enjoyed economic prosperity.

Since the abolition of the Federation in 1972, the United Republic of Cameroon under Ahidjo and later the Republic of Cameroon under Biya, Cameroon has never enjoyed democracy. Under Ahidjo, Cameroon suffered the one-party dictatorship, with all the atrocities of press censorships, BMM, exit visas, arbitrary arrests etc. No opposition Parties were allowed. See the book “ The struggle for Political Pluralism and Democracy in Cameroon”.

In 1982, Paul Biya was appointed president of Cameroon, by Ahidjo, when he decided to resign voluntary. No elections.

On the departure of Ahidjo. We challenged the one-party dictatorship, which Biya inherited by launching in 1983 the first opposition Party, “The Cameroon Democratic Party”, for which I was forced into exile for six years. (see above).

In 1992, Biya was forced by the Cameroon people and the International Community, to allow multi parties in Cameroon. The Cameroon Democratic Party, protested that multi parties cannot operate under the one party rules and asked for the Constitution to be amended to reflect the multi party state of the country. Biya refused, and conducted the first multiparty elections under the one part rules. The elections were conducted by the CPDM Minister of Territorial Administration ( no Independent Electoral Commission, See the recommendations of the NDI report in the above book)
We said we would not contest the elections unless there was an Independent Electoral Commission. The SDF party under John Fru Ndi contested the presidential elections against Biya, and Fru Ndi actually won the elections, because all Cameroonians wanted a change of government at all cost, but Biya was declared winner by the Minister of Territorial Administration and confirmed by the Supreme Court, said their hands were tied.

After this surprising defeat, Biya decided to perfect the art of rigging the elections. He still refused to appoint an Independent Electoral commission, instead Biya appointed NEO to observe the elections, with no powers to conduct the elections, his appointed Minister of Territorial Administration still conducted the last elections and gave his party more than 80% of the present Parliament, in his preparation for the final coup on the Cameroon Democracy.

The opposition parties which took part in the elections cried foul, but Cameroonians did not mind because by the Constitution proclaimed by Biya himself limiting the tenure of the president to two terms of seven years each, Biya’s tenure would end and he would be barred from contesting any further elections. Biya would finally go.

Then the bomb shell fell. Biya amended the Constitution, to make himself life president. He would be re-elected with monotonous regularity, as many times as he would like to stand the elections, until his death and if he resigns he would enjoy immunity from all crimes committed during his life presidency. Cameroonians and the International Community cried foul, but his hand clapping Parliament amended the Constitutions and gave him the immunity he asked for.

Now the only hope Cameroonians had was the Independent Electoral Commission, which he had promised the world (Common Wealth) that he would set up. With an Independent Electoral Commission, Cameroonians saw a flicker of hope of changing the Government through the democratic process of the ballot box.

According to sub-paragraph 11 article 13 of the December 29, 2006 law creating ELECAM, “the post of chairperson, the vice chair and members of the electoral council are incompatible to functions or quality…of a member belonging to a political party or a group supporting a political party, a candidate or list of candidates”. It states that the appointment of members into the electoral council of ELECAM are chosen from amongst Cameroonian personalities known for their competence, moral integrity, intellectual honesty, sense of patriotism and their spirit of neutrality and impartiality.

The Prime Minister, Inoni conducted extensive consultations with the opposition parties represented in Parliament and they made suggestions as to the type of people they wanted to compose ELECAM. ELECAM was to be made of outstanding men and women of high integrity, Politically neutral, and transparently honest. Men and women who would inspire confidence in the electoral process. But what has Biya done?

Distinguished members of the media, on the 30th December 2008, President Paul Biya signed “Decreet No.2008/463 du 30 decembre” appointing members of ELECAM.

He appointed all of them from his CPDM party, a party ridden with corruption and embezzlement, a party which has produce the most corrupt government, winning twice the trophy of the world’s most corrupt governments. Biya appointed from a corrupt party, men and women of questionable characters, men and women some who had headed organizations where innocent blood of Cameroonians had been shed, to guarantee that he and his party will always win any election conducted in Cameroon.

ELECAM is not an Independent Electoral Neutral body to conduct any elections in Cameroon, but an organ of the CPDM, a tool in the hands of Paul Biya, to guarantee his life presidency.

Distinguished members of the media, we reject ELECAM and call on President Paul Biya to disband the present ELECAM he has appointed and appoint a true INDEPENDENT ELECTORAL COMMISSION.

We, the Cardinal Democratic Party will not contest any elections conducted by the present ELECAM. We call on all political parties to boycott all elections conducted by the present ELECAM. We call on all Cameroonians to boycott all elections organized or conducted by the present ELECAM. Let all Cameroonians and the whole world know that Cameroon is a ONE PARTY STATE, and that there is NO DEMOCRACY in Cameroon. Biya has killed Democracy in Cameroon.

Of course some stupid money mongers will be quick to say that if we boycott the elections, the CPDM Party and Biya will be declared winners, but the truth is that if we contest the elections, the CPDM and Biya will still be declared winners, so why then, give them that legality by contesting the elections. Let us not deceive our selves for love of money, and destroy Cameroon. Any person or party who or which contests any election under the present ELECAM is an enemy of democracy, is an enemy of Cameroon, is a traitor to Cameroonians..

The CPDM and Biya will buy people with money to contest the elections, but that will only help them to be there for a short time. Biya knows, unless he is deceiving himself, that if he contested an election against a monkey, an Election conducted by a true Independent body, the monkey will defeat him.

Men and women of the media, the truth is that the CPDM government and President Paul Biya cannot be removed through the democratic process of the ballot box. We must wait for Biya to resign voluntary or die through the natural process of all mortals.

I am ready to bet 50 million francs in cash or kind with any person who proves that the CPDM or President Paul Biya can be defeated by any party or person in an election conducted by the present ELECAM.
However we must not forget the wise council of President Kennedy who said that those who prevent peaceful change must be ready for violent change. No condition is permanent. Under the CPDM government headed by life President Paul Biya, Cameroon has no Constitution, but a set of laws which are changed by Biya at will, at his convenience.

Biya is the law. Biya is in full control of the Executive, the Legislature and the Judiciary (no separation of powers}. As commander in Chief, Biya is in full control of the army and all security forces. Biya is all powerful in Cameroon.

Under Biya’s long tenure in Office (26 years already} Biya must be responsible for all our miseries and hardships and sorrows. We are a rich country, but we are now among the poorest countries of the world. Cameroon has sunk to the lowest depths of corruption, winning the World corruption trophy twice.

Under the CDPM government, justice is no longer guaranteed, since with money you can manipulate the judiciary. Our criminal Code provides penalty for many crimes, but under the CPDM government the laws are no longer enforced. Prostitution is an offence punishable under section 343 of the Cameroon Penal Code. The punishment ranges from six months to five years imprisonment or a fine of 20,000 to 500,000 CFA.

Yet we see on our television screens, University girls in Yaounde, advertising that they charge 5,000 CFA for sex without condoms and 3,000 CFA for sex with condoms. How many times have we read in the papers about aborted babies dumped in latrine pits or abandoned on railway tracts after abortion, yet abortion and murder are criminal offenses under the Penal Code, but the culprits are never arrested.

Homosexuality, punishable under section 347 of the Cameroon Penal Code, is widely practiced by “big men” and now Students in colleges and universities practice it, but no legal actions taken. Adultery and bigamy are offences punishable under sections 361 and 359© respectively, but Biya say that all these offences are private matters for which the press must not be involved.

Ahidjo was no doubt a great dictator, but under Ahidjo these laws were enforced. Police and gendarmes paraded streets at night to arrest prostitutes. If a person stole more than two million francs CFA, he went to jail for life. Today, billions of francs are looted , stolen or embezzled and the culprits move about freely. Civil society is so fed up with the legal system, that when a thief is caught, they take the law into their hands and apply jungle justice. They put tyres on the person and roast him. We fear that they will soon start roasting the “big men and women” who have stolen billions of francs.

The collapse of morality and probity in our society is affecting not only the young people in schools and universities, but even God’s consecrated Servants. Despite the preaching by the hierarchy, some consecrated servants of God, have been corrupted by the rotten society and some are guilty of the crimes committed by the criminals of our decaying society.

Distinguished members of the media, our society is rapidly driving down to chaos.
My Party and myself have written to President Paul Biya several times about the Anglophone problem which borders on the corporate existence of Cameroon, but to no avail.

The Anglophones complain of marginalization, discrimination and treatment as second class citizens. They are fed up with Cameroon and want to Separate from the Republic of Cameroon. The only lasting solution to this problem is to return to the Federal Republic of Cameroon Constitution. A Constitution which guaranteed equality of States, equality of all Cameroonians, and the rule of Law.

We must never lose sight of the fact that unification was based on federalism.

Ladies and Gentlemen of the media,
I employ you and all Cameroonians to invoke God’s mercy on our Country. We are economically bankrupt, democratically bankrupt, and morally bankrupt. We are drifting fast into Chaos, anarchy and doom, and only God can safe us.

Thank you.
Chief A.S. Ngwana, National Chairman. CDP
Tel. (237 )77 75 71 73 Email: ngwanasamba@yahoo.com

Cameroon:Paul Biya and New Year 2009.

By Tazoacha Asonganyi(pictured) in Yaounde.

The year 2008 ended with another presidential address to the nation from Paul Biya. Like for many before it, the speech had no take home message. It was all about generalities and wishes, and bereft of concrete plans of action for 2009.

For example, for an African country like ours, the financial crisis currently rocking the world is far beyond stating that it started in the USA and spread to Europe, then to the Far East and finally rocked the whole world. Indeed, for us, the crisis is a clear signal that the Bretton Woods agreements that were meant to provide financial stability to the world’s financial market and the World Bank/IMF whose mission was to integrate newly independent nations (like Cameroon) into the world economy were not good enough.

This is because these financial systems were based on the now discredited theory of unfettered markets that are self-correcting; therefore the policies sold to us "newly independent countries" that ranged from structural adjustment plans (SAP) to the highly indebted poor countries initiative (HIPCI) inflicted enormous social and economic costs on our societies.

An African head of state on behalf of his people who suffered from what we now know to be misguided policies should firmly call for change, and propose the changes expected, rather than state meekly that if the crisis bring about "the reorganisation of the global financial system and the regulation of the globalisation, it could be expected that its effects would be limited in scope and duration...". In other words, contrary to his utterance that "we have to count on our own strength", he is effectively resigning to our fate and hoping that the saving grace will come from the same people who formulated the Bretton Woods agreements in the first place!

When electoral fraud is used to obtain "large and homogenous" majorities, this is a sign of the maturity of the people; on the other hand, when the people rise up against "rising cost of living, water and electricity shortage and unemployment" the people are said to be politically exploited by quacks/apprentice sorcerers.

To these quacks of yesterday – leaders of political parties, trade unions and associations – we are told that their role "as intermediaries is to transmit to government the grievances of their constituents..."; swearing with his hand on his breast that he will always have a keen ear to their demands! But the people remember that it is his "large and homogenous" majority that voted down the request of the opposition that mounting social problems be addressed before they got out of hand. He expects that when his "large and homogenous" majority indulges in such senselessness, the people should go down on their knees and beg him as if he is a gate-keeper of a private estate.
In any case, if Paul Biya becomes a keen listener in 2009, the better for all of us. But I doubt that there can be such an evolution because he expects political parties, trade unions and associations to be passive transmitters of information to him so he can determine if the grievances are "well founded"! If they give civic education to the sovereign people on whose behalf the government is supposed to act, this constitutes "political exploitation" by quacks and apprentices...!

Indeed, I doubt that he will lend an attentive ear, since he continues to claim that a majority of Cameroonians understand the meaning of the recent constitutional change. He knows very well that only his fabricated "large and homogenous" majority understands it, not the people who are anxious about the fate of the country after decades of this one man show.

I doubt that he will lend an attentive ear because, after filling ELECAM with stalwarts of the CPDM, he claims that it will "strengthen the credibility of our electoral system", as if their signing pieces of paper that they have resigned from the CPDM will remove their sympathy for the CPDM from their hearts.

It is only the government that through macro- and micro-economic policies can create conditions for substantial reduction of unemployment. So what is the level of unemployment in Cameroon? It is with respect to how many jobs are lacking in Cameroon that any government effort towards job creation can be described as "substantial".

However, in spite of his describing the impending recruitment into the army and the police as a "substantial" effort of government, he still says that our employment policy should be "more vigorous". How? Like for every sector addressed by him, we are left with only such generalities that cannot allow any scientific evaluation of the performance of government in the sectors in 2009.
During 2008 like for many years before it, our politics have centred on one man – Paul Biya. He has radiated like the sun, rewarding some loyalists and punishing some; crushing factions and ambition, and nurturing rumours about everything around him.

He has shown us that power can outwait rumours; that power can trample on the rule of law; and that power can be ruthless. But he knows that power cannot outwait its end! It is to the interest of the country that he spends 2009 thinking about Cameroon after the end of his power. There will be a future 31 December that will not belong to him!