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Cameroon: Youth Unemployment Preoccupies Government
Cameroon Tribune (Yaoundé) 4 November 2008
Posted to the web 5 November 2008 Elizabeth Mosima
Some 60 youths from Yaounde are taking part in a two-month training workshop on income generating activities in the urban milieu. Population growth in Cameroon is rapid in most big towns and cities. According to statistics, about 92 per cent of the population in Yaounde is below 45 years. This rapid urban growth brings about social problems which affect particularly the poor and other vulnerable groups in society such as youths. It is against this backdrop that a two-month training workshop for youths in difficulties on income generating activities in the urban sector opened in Yaounde yesterday. Organised by the Ministry of Urban Development (MINDUH) in collaboration with a private consultancy, ELECT-INFO, the workshop groups some 60 youths from Yaounde. It seeks to reduce social problems in urban areas by contributing in the reduction of youth unemployment in view of their economic insertion in the society through healthy, productive and generative occupations. For two months, the participants will be drilled on activities such as urban horticulture, fabrication and placing of pavements, as well as cable distribution of satellite images. According to enquiry on Employment and the Informal sector, (EESI) carried out in 2005, the rate of youth unemployment stands at 13 percent at the national level with 22 per cent in Douala and 30 per cent in Yaounde. This high youth unemployment rate is the origin of numerous social ills such as juvenile delinquency, crime wave, alcoholism, etc. Opening the workshop, the Head of Division for Social and Urban Environment, Louisette Mabiom, said the youths constitute an important part of the population both in numbers and productivity. Consequently, employment is thus important to increase national production, re-launch growth and fight against the phenomenon of social exclusion and segregation of youths. She called on the youths to make use of the opportunity given them in order to be integrated in the economy of the country. Adding that youths who will benefit from the training will easily integrate in divers projects to beautify towns and cities in the country that are underway.
Cameroon: War on Corruption - The Other Arena
Cameroon Tribune (Yaoundé) 3 September 2008
Posted to the web 5 September 2008 Martin A. Nkemngu
The Cameroon government has conducted the fight against corruption and embezzlement of public funds through many established structures. For the purpose there exist the Supreme State Control, the Audit Bench of the Supreme Court, the Good Governance Programme, the National Anti-Corruption Commission (CONAC) and the National Agency for Financial Investigation (ANIF). In addition, the judiciary has become a power which has a free hand to investigate and bring to book persons suspected of corruption and embezzlement of state funds. To this arsenal must be added anti-corruption units in various government ministries which are expected to monitor and check the spread of this canker worm called corruption. In effect, the famous "Operation Sparrow Hawk" has only given teeth to the fight as some top ranking government functionaries have been trapped by the anti-corruption dragnet. Yet, in spite of this multiplicity of structures to fight against corruption, many officials charged with the management of state resources end up carrying them away. The case of the cashier in Douala who escaped with huge sums of money is a glaring example. The fact that corruption continues to plague our society in spite of the ruthless attempts to punish culprits tends to frustrate the effort being made. There is therefore the need to diversify the approach by taking the crusade to individual level. That was probably why the Minister of Finance, Essimi Menye, while installing newly-named finance officials last Monday called on them to open a new front in the fight in their various departments. The new directors of the treasury and that of CENADI (the Centre for the Development of Information Technology) were told to wage a relentless war against corruption and embezzlement. They were told to consider the fight against corruption a priority of priorities. It is hoped that the appeal did not fall on deaf ears considering the context in which the appointments were made. The treasury department and CENADI are sensitive positions which require the services of morally upright and rigorous officials. In recent times, many persons serving in these departments have ended up in prison for acts of corruption, fraud or embezzlement. It is therefore important for the departments to consider themselves as an arena for the fight against corruption. From that platform, there may be cooperation and synergy between structures like CONAC, the media, Non-governmental Organisations (NGOs) anti-corruption units in the ministries and state structures in existence. To win the war on corruption there is great need not only to diversify the approach but to work in total collaboration one with the other. No single structure, no matter how powerful, will win the fight alone.Cameroon: Authorities Lift Ban On Three Private Broadcasters - Magic FM's Equipment Held By Police
Committee to Protect Journalists (New York)
PRESS RELEASE
14 July 2008
Posted to the web 15 July 2008
New York
Cameroonian authorities have lifted a ban on three private broadcasters summarily closed in connection with their critical coverage in February, but police are withholding equipment seized from one station, according to local journalists and news reports.
Equinoxe Télévision, sister radio station Radio Equinoxe, and Magic FM were authorized to return to air on July 4 by Communications Minister Jean Pierre Biyiti bi Essam. However, police continued to hold the broadcasting equipment of Magic FM, a popular station and partner of international U.S. broadcaster Voice of America in the capital, Yaoundé, Editor-in-Chief Roger Kiyeck told CPJ.
Security forces forced Magic FM off the air during a February 28 raid in which they seized broadcasting equipment, after callers criticized President Paul Biya during a news program. When CPJ contacted Essam today about the equipment, Essam stated, "You are better informed than I am," without commenting further.
All three stations were distinguished for their pointed political coverage of a national debate on constitutional reform marred by violence, according to local journalists.
"We are relieved that Equinoxe Télévision, Radio Equinoxe, and Magic FM have finally been allowed to return to air," said Tom Rhodes, CPJ's Africa program coordinator. "We call on the government to abandon such crude tactics of censorship like these arbitrary closures of media outlets, and ask that authorities to ensure that all of Magic FM's equipment is returned immediately."
The Equinoxe stations were allowed to resume broadcasting based on their partial payments of Cameroon's hefty 100 million CFA francs (US$227,000) broadcast licensing fees, according to a decree issued by the ministry. Essam had invoked the nonpayment of such fees to summarily shut down the stations in February. Only four broadcasters operated with a license in Cameroon at the time of the closures, while the vast majority of stations broadcasted in what the press refers to as "administrative tolerance."
Police unsealed the Equinoxe studios in the commercial port town of Douala on Monday afternoon, according to local news reports. Radio Equinoxe returned to the air for two hours, but equipment repairs after nearly four months of disuse will likely keep the station off the air for another week, Editor-in-Chief Albert Yondjeu told CPJ.
Opposition Member of Parliament Jean-Jacques Ekindi accused the minister on July 4 of violating Cameroon's 1990 press law. "You are guilty of abuse of power," Ekindi was quoted in the leading daily Le Messager as saying.
CPJ is a New York-based, independent, nonprofit organization that works to safeguard press freedom worldwide. For more information, visit http://www.cpj.org.
Cameroon: Junior Parliamentarians Brace Up for June Session
Cameroon Tribune (Yaoundé)
11 June 2008
Posted to the web 11 June 2008
Elizabeth Mosima
The premises of the College Mgr Vogt in Mvolye, a Yaounde neighbourhood, are exceptionally these days. Some 180 junior parliamentarians are busy preparing for the 10th session of the children's parliament which will take place on June 16.
The children's parliament is part of activities to mark the 18th edition of the Day of the African Child. The theme for this year's celebration is "The participation of children". Although the schools are on holidays, the atmosphere is that of a school. Young children lined up before their teachers for roll call so that they could be separated into different commissions. The first batch of children arrived at the campus last Monday. Yesterday, the junior parliamentarians worked in five different commissions with their trainers. Each commission has a president, vice president and a rapporteur. For one week the junior parliamentarians, drawn from all the ten provinces of the country, are expected to formulate questions which will be asked to members of government. The questions are then reformulated by their trainers so that they can be better presented. The children will then meet in a plenary sessions while on campus.
According to the Sub Director of the Promotion of the Rights of the Child, Pierre Diddi Esola, the preparatory phase is supposed to end today. "We can say the children are already in parliament. The difference is that they are not in the general assembly," he said. According to the official programme, the junior parliamentarians will have a mock plenary session at the hemicycle tomorrow before the going to parliament on Monday. During the training period the children will also listen to educative talks from some national and international partners as well as former junior parliamentarians. Among the numerous activities will be the visit to an agricultural site in Mbansan via Soa, organised by Synergies Africaines, visit to the national museum and socio cultural activities by the Ministry of Youth Affairs.
Every year children between ages of 9 nine to 16 years are selected from schools and training centres from all the provinces of the country to take part in the children's parliament. The selection is also done according to the number of children in each province. This explains why the Centre and Littoral Provinces are presenting 32 candidates each which is the largest number of candidates.
Cameroon: Human Rights Commission For Constitutional Revision
Cameroon Tribune (Yaoundé)
3 April 2008
Posted to the web 3 April 2008
Emmanuel Kendemeh
The National Commission on Human Rights and Freedoms held its fifth ordinary session yesterday in Yaounde.
«The amendment of the constitution is a normal exercise. In general terms, I think that the current debate on the constitutional amendment in Cameroon ought to have been focused on its programming and on content". The Chairman of Cameroon's National Commission on Human Rights and Freedoms, Dr Divine Chemuta Banda said in Yaounde, yesterday, 02 April, while delivering his keynote address on the occasion of the Commission's fifth ordinary session. On the debate on whether or not to limit the mandate of the President, Dr Banda said, "I am of the opinion that the systems of limiting or not of the terms of office of the Heads of State or governments, is a double option in the same democratic game" and added, " non of the options is fundamentally good or bad. In the final analysis, it is the right of the people to freely choose the option they want".
Dr Banda used the opening ceremony of the session to state the involvement of the Commission members at different levels and degrees in topical events in the human rights domain in Cameroon since their fourth ordinary session in October 2007 and the extraordinary session in January 2008. He cited the debate on constitutional revision, banning of street public manifestations in the Littoral Province, the foiled coup attempt in Chad with thousands of displaced persons crossing to Kousseri, rise in the prices of petroleum products and other goods of basic necessity, violent strikes that rocked Cameroon in late February and Head of State's measures to improve the living conditions of Cameroonians.
The Commission through its Chairman, said the hikes in fuel prices significantly affects other products in the economic systems of the country. They therefore, advised that adequate attention be paid on policies related to fixing prices of petroleum products. Acknowledging that solutions to fuel prices hikes cannot come overnight, Dr Banda said, all actors in the sector must work in a resolute manner for better results following a reasonable programme. He condemned the recent violent demonstrations in the country as counter productive in the promotion of protection of human rights. As a solution, he said, efforts must be heightened to educate all interested parties in public manifestations on the programming and management of such manifestations to preserve security of people and their property. Consequently, inertia and impunity, key causes of the violent manifestations, must be fought through dialogue, good governance, and adopting satisfactory solutions to emerging problems in different circumstances.
The Human Rights Commission members were also briefed on efforts at maintaining good partnerships, contributions to Elections Cameroon and level of progress towards acquiring the Commission's permanent residence. They used the session to adopt reports of 2007 activities, elect Chairpersons and rapporteurs of the Sub-commissions and fine-tune 2008 activities.
Cameroon: Corruption - The Ultimate Warning
Cameroon Tribune (Yaoundé)
11 March 2008
Posted to the web 11 March 2008
Tche Irene Morikang
Corruption is a real nuisance in Cameroon. Abuse of office by public officials and politicians for private gain is preponderant.
Bribery and fraud have become a way of life; a canker worm that has spared no sector. Although the manifestations vary, the consequences are the same. Devastating. Personal interests triumph to the detriment of the entire population. Development is compromised. Easy therefore to understand why President Paul Biya, in virtually all his speeches, condemns the practice and reaffirms the option he has taken to clamp down on those eating fat from corruption.
Last Friday again, during the Council of Ministers meeting at State House, President Paul Biya expressed his determination to pursue the clean-up work started. For the umpteenth time, he told members of government to strengthen the fight against corruption and other ills such as inertia, laxity and pursuit of personal interest that have eaten deep into the fabrics of our nation. And in very strong words, he urged the Prime Minister, Head of Government, to scrupulously carry out, with celerity and efficacy, his instructions. "I will not tolerate any failure in their execution". From all indications, therefore, the fight against corruption will enter a higher gear.
The reason for the President's outburst this time is the heartless amassing of wealth through corruption by a few individuals to the chagrin of the majority of Cameroonians left to toil for the crumps. Needless to say the living condition of most Cameroonians has dwindled over the years to a pitiable state, while a handful of people increase their fleet of cars, erect mansions and inflate their bank accounts. Such dichotomy between the haves and have-nots is not only revolting, it can give rise to social unrest.
The Head of State, conscious of this, last Friday took a series of measures aimed at improving the living condition of Cameroonians. These include increasing Public Service salaries with effect from April 2008. Tax exemption on imported basic commodities such as rice, fish, flour and cooking oil. Suspension of customs duties on imported wheat and reduction of taxes on clinker used by CIMENCAM to manufacture cement.
This bold move will entail an increase in government spending and a reduction in its revenue. The Minister of Finance already talks of something like an additional FCFA eight billion to be spent on salaries each month. What will be lost on custom duties and taxes is also enormous. Wherefore the need for government to tighten expenditure and reinforce revenue collection.
And this is where the fight against corruption comes in. In effect, the revenue generating sectors in the country (taxation and customs) have been indexed as the hardest hit by corruption. Our tax and custom officers, as well as those who manage public funds have to sit up if the present measures to better the purchasing power of Cameroonians have to be sustainable. Needless to say the State will be plunged into difficulties if at the port; custom officers continue to eat fat from money that was supposed to enter government coffers. If our tax collectors continue to under tax businesses in order to share the dividends with unscrupulous businesspersons. If in the domain of public contracts, bills are inflated and projects abandoned.
It is therefore time for all the government structures, created to serve as watchdogs in the fight against corruption, to get down to work. All eyes are turned towards the National Anti Corruption Commission, CONAC, the Supreme State Control, the Audit Bench of the Supreme Court, the National Good Governance Committee and the profuse anti corruption units that mushroom in government structures. In the same light, repression should continue. The recent arrests, trials and judgement of some "untouchables" - members of government and heads of public enterprises, is an indication that no one is above the law. Reacting promptly to cases of corruption and without fear or favour can also produce great results. Such sanctions should be well publicised. In this way, people will definitely think twice before offering or receiving "gombo", "beer", "taxi", "fuel", "tchoko", "motivation"...you name the rest. In the absence of this, a handful of embezzlers will continue to take the nation hostage.
Cameroon: Private Radio Suspended, Independent Newspapers Prevented From Appearing
Reporters sans Frontières (Paris)
PRESS RELEASE
29 February 2008
Posted to the web 29 February 2008
Reporters Without Borders is concerned at a crackdown against the media which criticised the government following an outbreak of rioting in Douala in the southwest.
As the communications minister called on newspapers to be "responsible", the unrest has left the privately-owned press in crisis after security forces raided the studios of Magic FM radio seizing equipment and forcing it to close. Much of the privately-owned printed press has been prevented from appearing.
Trouble broke out on the fringes of a taxi-drivers strike on 25 February, against the background of political tensions over a planned reform of the Constitution aimed at ending the limit on the number of terms the country's president can serve.
Despite the end of the strike, on 27 February, clashes continued and escalated between demonstrators and security forces and privately-owned newspapers, chiefly printed in Douala, have not been able to appear. Only state media are still being distributed.
"The situation is deteriorating on a daily basis and becoming untenable for the independent media in Douala", the worldwide press freedom organisation said. "Since they cannot be printed they are no longer in circulation"
"Moreover, it is not for the communications ministry to give lessons to journalists. What will happen to those who do not observe the "recommendations" and do not practise self-censorship ?" it asked.
"Only the central administration can legally suspend a radio. We call on the authorities to immediately lift this measure which was taken unfairly by the police and return Magic FM its broadcast equipment", the organisation said.
The Communications Minister, Jean-Pierre Beyiti Bi Essam, on 28 February summoned the editors of privately-owned newspapers to his office and urged to "show responsibility" and "not to publish any news which could pour oil on the flames".
On the same day, in Yaoundé, southern Cameroon, security forces raided the offices of Magic FM without a warrant and ordered its closure. "Right now the radio is no longer broadcasting. A score of police arrived yesterday and seized our equipment saying that we had been irresponsible in letting listeners analyse the head of state's speech," editor, Roger Kiyeck, told Agence France-Presse (AFP).
The police were referring to the programme Magic Attitude, which invites listeners to phone in and comment on the news. Some listeners who called in on the morning of 28 February considered that the speech made by the head of state the previous evening in which he said he would use "all legal means" to restore order was more "aggressive than appeasing" and that it did "not respond to the wishes of the people".
Kiyeck said the security forces also took computers, the mixing console and broadcast equipment. Police questioned the station's owner, Grégoire Mbida Ndjana, and the presenter of the offending programme, Jules Elobo.
The communicaitons minsistry on 21 February ordered the suspension of privately-owned Equinoxe TV, on the grounds that its owner had not paid a deposit of 100 million CFA francs required to obtain a broadcast licence.
Reporters Without Borders defends imprisoned journalists and press freedom throughout the world. It has nine national sections (Austria, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland). It has representatives in Bangkok, London, New York, Tokyo and Washington. And it has more than 120 correspondents worldwide.
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