YAOUNDE, June 24, 2009 –Extensive consultations, jointly organized by the World Bank, the African Development Bank (AfDB), and the government of Cameroon, took place May 11-26, 2009 in Yaounde and Douala, with a view to planning the interventions of the two financial institutions over the next few years in Cameroon.
Close to 300 attendees participated in technical discussions that involved Cameroon’s socio-economic and political stakeholders. The discussions were facilitated by senior country officers Daniel Murphy and Emmanuel Noubissie Ngankam on behalf of the World Bank, and Racine Kane, country economist, on behalf of AfDB.
Harmonization and Alignment in Accordance with the Paris Declaration
Attendees represented a wide range of stakeholders: civil society, parliamentarians, civil servants, and senior ministry officials, members of the private sector, representatives from project implementation units and various regulatory agencies.
The two institutions organized a number of small thematic workshops to discuss their respective assistance strategies, and issues and concerns to be taken into account. The workshops were designed to draw lessons from past experiences.
“It is the first time in Cameroon that parliamentarians, civil society organizations, the private sector, and sectoral public administrations are being consulted intensively and extensively at the same time by two development institutions as part of the preparation of their respective assistance strategies,” said Mary Barton-Dock, World Bank Country Director for Cameroon.
These consultations enable the World Bank to take into account not only the Government’s priorities as outlined in its new Growth and Employment Strategy (DSCE), “but also the concerns of the various segments of the population, which could be collated through participatory consultations only,” Ms. Barton-Dock added. She stressed that the World Bank needs to include in its portfolio projects and programs that produce specific results with a positive impact by addressing genuine needs expressed by Cameroon and its population.
“Inclusive Growth” a Major Focus of the New Strategy
The new World Bank Country Assistance Strategy under discussion for the period 2010–2013, will focus on the notion of “inclusive growth.” It is fully consistent with both the DSCE being drafted and the long-term strategy paper entitled “Cameroon: Vision 2035,” which was prepared by the government, in accordance with the Paris Declaration, a declaration that encourages development partners to harmonize their strategies and interventions and align them to government priorities. The new strategy will rest on the following proposed pillars: increased infrastructure investments, modernization of production and increased competitiveness, macroeconomic management, and human development.
The 2007–2008 Interim Strategy Note, a follow-up to the 2004–2006 Country Assistance Strategy, allowed the World Bank Group to help Cameroon take advantage of opportunities in order to step up the pace of development on the basis of three principles: the improvement of governance structures, including through anti-corruption efforts; the reinforcement of results-based management; and the strengthening of partnership, alignment, and harmonization.
The World Bank currently has a portfolio of 21 projects being implemented in Cameroon, for a total commitment of US$595.4 million. This portfolio includes 12 national projects financed by the International Development Association (IDA), four sub-regional operations financed by IDA, and five Trust Funds. The 21 projects cover a wide array of sectors such as education, social development, transport, private sector development and finance, the environment, agriculture and rural development, energy and mining, health, nutrition, and the population, and urban development.
RSS