By Gilla Everdine
Stakeholders of the North West Regional Follow-Up Committee of the Presidential Plan for Reconstruction and Development (PPRD) met in Bamenda on Tuesday, September 17, 2024, to discuss new orientations for phase two and three of the project.
The meeting was held after the Prime Minister, Chief Dr. Joseph Dion Ngute, signed a new directive on July 30, 2024, detailing the expanded roles of local and regional councils in implementing PPRD projects.
Unlike before, when the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) was the sole implementing partner, new partnerships are now open to other local and regional authorities.
In his opening address, the Chairman of the Follow-Up Committee, North West Governor Adolphe Lele Lafrique, provided an update on the PPRD’s progress. He shared that 258 projects have been completed to date, with 38 ongoing and two suspended.
The PPRD, which aims to transform the North West and South West regions embroiled in an arms conflict is being implemented with an estimated budget of 2,500 billion CFA francs.
Key infrastructure projects like the Bamenda-Babadjou road, parts of the ring road, and the Bamenda urban bypass are expected to make significant progress soon.
Governor Lele Lafrique expressed optimism about the new framework, stating, “There is hope on the horizon.”
Minister Paul Tasong, President of the PPRD Steering Committee, highlighted that, unlike the first phase, which had only the UNDP as a partner, the PPRD is now authorized to collaborate with a range of stakeholders, including local and regional authorities, development missions, regional assemblies, divisional and regional administrative bodies, civil society organizations, NGOs, and churches. He emphasized the importance of these partnerships in accelerating the development and reconstruction process in the two regions.
Minister Tasong also noted that the PPRD, previously focused in its first phase, or recovery stage, under the UNDP, is now moving into its second and third phases. These new stages include the integration of ongoing construction projects, such as the Kumbo-Nkambe section of the ring road and the Bamenda-Babadjou road, as well as the Bamenda urban bypass.
Additionally, the PPRD will take on the new task of mobilizing funding for key development and reconstruction projects in the North West and South West regions.
Since its launch in 2020, the PPRD has focused on recovery efforts, benefiting farmers with agricultural inputs and establishing water systems in schools. However, with the expanded scope and partnerships in phases two and three, the PPRD aims to make more significant progress in the reconstruction of critical infrastructure and the overall development of the affected regions.
