As the Rumpi Area Participatory Development Project (fondly called Rumpi Project) draws to its end in June 2011- after one year extension, its coordinator, Besong Ntui Ogork, has said efforts are being intensified to ensure the project ends on a happy note.
“We have resolved to go an extra mile to make all sacrifices needed so that by June 2011 we should not be looking for another extension, but rather we should be closing the project, that is-writing its completion report on a satisfactory note,” Besong Ntui Ogork told reporters recently at Chariot Hotel –Buea as the 10th Project Steering Committee (PSC) wrapped –up its meeting.
The PSC is responsible for the overall supervision of Rumpi, which is a FCFA 17 billion project, launched in 2004 to reduce poverty in rural areas of the Southwest region by increasing their incomes in a sustainable manner, through improving agricultural output as well as their socio-economic environment.
Rumpi is placed under the Southwest Development Authority, SOWEDA-Buea, and co- funded by African Development Bank (ADB75%), Technical Assistance Fund (TAF 8 %), Government of Cameroon (GOC15%) and the beneficiaries (2%).
The 10th PSC meeting, which was chaired by Southwest Governor Koumpa Issa, discussed the project’s progress report for the first semester of 2010, examined and adopted the 2009 audit report, as well as planned the speeding- up of activity implementation.
Rumpi’s 2010 budget in income and expenditure stands at the sum of eight billion eight hundred and sixty seven million five hundred and forty thousand (8,867,540,000) FCFA.
.In his welcome speech at the 10th PSC, Dr. Eneme Andrew Ngome, general manager of SOWEDA, called for greater commitment as the project comes to an end next year.
He said Government attaches much importance to the project with regards to poverty-alleviation. He congratulated Koumpa Issa, for his appointment as Southwest Governor, a position which automatically makes him the PSC chair. Dr Eneme was upbeat that Koumpa Issa‘s chairmanship would boost the PSC mechanism
He said the project, which was supposed to end last June, has been extended for another one year by the ADB upon the request of Cameroon government.
The 10th PSC made among others the following recommendations:
“That the Project Implementation Unit (PIU) should ensure that contractors whose contracts are likely to be completed and delivered after the last disbursement date provide cautions to the project instead of 5% retention provided for in the contracts, in order that the project does not face difficulties to pay the concerned contractors upon expiration of the retention period
“That the PIU, RDARD and IRAD should prepare and deliver the training on the production and multiplication of planting materials within the second semester of 2010
“That the PIU, SOWEDA and MIFED should put a mechanism in place to ensure the sustainability of village banks when the project ends
“ That the RDARD should reinforce the existing mechanism for the collection of proceeds from the sale of panting materials from farmers to seed Fund account ASAP and report to the PSC in the Next sitting
“That The PIU should make sure that the 2011 budget takes care of staff pay off package at the end of the project”
Speaking to the press after the meeting, PSC chair Governor Koumpa Issa said, “We discussed the progress report of the first semester 2010 and were staifisfied at activities carried despite some difficulties. The rate of execution stands at 58%.We adopted the audit report for 2009.We discussed what PSC can offer to the project, so that activities can be carried out smoothly since the project is ending on June 30,2011”
For his part, Project Coordinator Besong Ntui Ogork explained to reporters that, extending the project for another one year did not mean that funds too would be increased. “The extension of the project is to provide us enough time to complete its activites.It does not mean increase in money... Since 2004 when the Project was approved till toady, I think the Project has lost quite a significant amount of money”
“The project’s physical execution is 58 %. Financial execution of the project at the moment stands at about 35% for the ADB loan-not including the Technical Assistance Fund and the Government of Cameroon funding,” he told The Recorder, adding, “Physical execution is higher than financial because most of the contractors who have already done their work have not yet been paid. But on the ground we count what they have done as realized”
Work to be done
According to the Project Coordinator, “We have constructed 19 out of 20 markets. We are just starting with the roads; so we still have roads to do. We still have to finish the water schemes-these are the key areas. For the agricultural component we still have some materials to be distributed during the next planting season.
“There are 55 village banks and 28 are already functional. We have 14 of them under construction and another 14 yet to start. But all the 55 village banks already have members of the Management Committee-and all have been provided with safe deposit boxes for the security of funds. I think before the end of this year we will be able to boast of 55 operational village banks through out the region”
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