Cameroon:CEFAM Purchase of 4 Computers for 25 million Fcfa Forces Public Investment Follow-up Committee to Open Probe

By Christopher Ambe Shu

The Regional Follow-up Committee on the execution of Public Investment Budget for the Southwest, which held its fourth quarter meeting for 2011 on January 18, was thrown into confusion when it emerged that four computers were bought for 25 million Fcfa by CEFAM Buea.

Suspicious of the cost of the 4 computers, which many thought was grossly exaggerated, the meeting chaired by Mrs. Magdalene Agbor of the civil society, immediately set a five-person commission to investigate the contract execution and evaluate how sophisticated the computers were that they swallowed such huge sums that could have been used to buy several more durable of equipment.

Presenting the level of execution of public investment projects in the Southwest Region, Eseke Ivo Bende, Southwest Regional Delegate for Economy, Planning and Regional Development (MINEPAT) and Secretary of the Follow-up Committee, said in 2011 the Region had some 457 projects spread across the six divisions. He said the 457 projects were estimated to cost about six billion francs.

Eseke disclosed that by the end of 2011 the physical execution of the projects stood at 89.51% while financial execution stood at 82.14%

He attributed failure to attain 100% execution to the in accessibility of some roads during the rainy season and the late arrival of some credits.

But the MINEPAT Regional Boss was confident that by the end of this January, the percentage of execution would significantly increase.

Before the regional follow-up committee meeting rose, it recommended that technicians who go to the field to control the execution of contracts should be more committed; that these technicians be provided with the means to ease their movement to the various project sites. The setting up of a five-person commission to investigate how four computers supplied to CEFAM could have cost up to 25 million francs was also one of the recommendations.

Mrs.Magdalene Agbor, Vice-President of the Follow-up Committee, who chaired the meeting in the absence of its president Hon. Adolf Ngale, told reporters that, it was also observed that some contracts in the Region were poorly executed. She cited the construction of the Ekondo Titi Sport Complex and the Gendarmerie celibetarium as examples of the poorly done projects.

The Follow-up Committee members were later on same day trained at one capacity-building seminar.

According to Eseke Ivo Bende, earlier mentioned, the seminar was organized by MINEPAT to empower actors involved in the execution of the 2012 public investment budget.

(First Published in The RECORDER Newspaper,Cameroon)