New vocations such as Textile and Fashion Design (dress-making), Agriculture, Weaving and Handicraft will soon go operational at the Cameroon Opportunities Industrialization Center, (COIC)-Buea if an expected new protocol agreement between the Center and the Cameroon Government is signed, officials have told reporters.
At a press conference, which held on February 15, 2010 on campus in Buea, organized by COIC officials, it emerged that the expected protocol will be signed in the near future.
“We expect in the next several weeks to have a new Protocol Agreement signed between us OIC and the Government. This Protocol Agreement would infuse more funds into our establishment and with more funds we hope to embark on a number of new vocations like dress-maikng, agriculture, weaving and handicraft”, said Barrister Sam Ekontang Elad,COIC Board Chairman ,during the press conference which was attended by journalists of both the Public and Independent Media.
He noted that with more funds scholarships may be offered to some trainees and capacity of instructors further enhanced
COIC Buea, an affiliate of OIC International with headquarters in Philadelphia, USA, was established in 1986 as a non –profit, community-based skills training Program.
It has since its inception trained in its regular and outreach courses some 48.000 people and job-placed 11,000 of them.
As at now it offers training in the following areas: Pre-Vocational Training:*Feeder.
Vocational/Technical Training: * Auto Mechanics/Motor Electricity * Building Construction * Hotel Catering & Management * Information & Communication Technology *Metal Fabrication, Welding and Spraying & Wood Work.
COIC depends largely on Government subvention which for the past five years has been at 150 millionFCFA per year, according to Barrister Elad.
“Our budget which is under 300 million FCFA also has funds from a number of activities and projects the Center is engaged in. We depend a lot on the Government and our gratitude to Government must always be stressed, for without Government Support we would have no funds to run our operations”
The press conference was basically to present the figures raised for Haiti victims, to let the Press know about transparency and accountability at COIC as well as the vision, direction and impact of OIC on the Community.
Barrister Elad, COIC Board Chair was co-assisted in answering questions from reporters by nearly all COIC Heads of Departments.
Barrister Elad justified how COIC raised and transferred 2.4 million FCFA to victims of the recent Haiti earth quake. He revealed that it was the Parent OIC in the USA that asked COIC to join in the Haiti Relief Effort
It emerged at the press conference that the judicial Police and Gendarmes were not yet through with investigations into the April 27,2009 burglary which COIC suffered, losing about 20 Million FCFA. “These investigations are at various levels and I would not like to jeopardize what is happening by commenting on what the Law and Order Officials are doing”, the Board chair told reporters
On why salaries of staff have not be paid for the past two months, officals said all would be well immediately they received subvention from the Government because salaries of are taken care of by the subvention the State gives to the Center. But AdoLf Ngundu, COIC Director added that if the delay in the disbursement funds was becoming unbearable, then they would mobilize resources elsewhere to pay salaries
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