Paul Tasong: The Workaholic & Strategist as New MINEPAT Secretary-General

By Christopher Ambe Shu



PAUL TASONG



If at all the appointment of Paul Tasong as the new Secretary-General in the Ministry of Economy, Planning and Regional Development(MINEPAT) came as a surprise to a few Cameroonians, to many others his promotion was long expected - especially by those who have interacted or worked with this gentleman who hails from the Lebialem Division of the Southwest Region. They say Mr.Tasong is synonymous to hard work

Always decently dressed, disciplned and soft-spoken, Mr.Tasong is generally described as a workaholic and a go- getter.



 To get the best of results from him, his admirers say, entrust him with a difficult assignment and give him a free hand.

After obtaining a Bachelor’s degree in public law, Mr. Tasong enrolled into EMAM Yaounde and graduated in 1988 as a tax inspector. He then worked briefly in the public service before enrolling in the prestigious University of Anvers in Belgium where he obtained a Masters degree in Public Administration and Management.

With a Masters degree in Public Administration and Management, he turned down employment offers from foreign employers, and returned to Cameroon- as true patriots do, to contribute his quota in the development of the country.

Back in the public service, Mr.Tasong would later be appointed South West Provincial Delegate for MINEPAT.He served in that position from 1999 to 2004, always  impressing his hierarchy and the public with his outstanding output. Based on merit, he would, in 2004, be promoted to the strategic position of Director of Public Investment Programming in the same Ministry in Yaoundé-a position he held and demonstrated mastery of the job until his recent elevation to the all-powerful position of Secretary-General in the Ministry of Economy, Planning and Regional Development.

While commissioning Mr.Tasong in to his new office as SG, on September 6, 2010, Louis Motaze, Minster of Economy, Planning and Regional Development told him: “The weight on your shoulder is quite heavy and the President of the Republic who appointed you is expecting nothing but positive results”. The Minster’s remark only made Mr.Tasong smile-a smile his admirers immediately said was an indication of his readiness to deliver the expected results.

Minister Motaze drew Mr.Tasong’s attention to the fact that the phase of elaborating the country’s economic Strategic document was over and now is the time for full implementation, which, the Minster said, is   Mr. Tasong’s immediate task.

But the minister was optimistic that Mr.Tasong would live up to expectation. He called for collaboration with other personnel.

Mr. Tasong replaced Roger Mbassa, now on retirement.

NB: First published in The Recorder Newspaper, Cameroon, on September 6, 2010