Abstract

Cameroon’s Constitution of 1996 sought to put in place a decentralised system of government that would accommodate a diversity of communities, but the country faces a range of serious governance challenges today which the Constitution so far has not succeeded in addressing.

These include difficulties in dealing with the country’s dual-state colonial heritage, particularly the perception of marginalisation by the Anglophone community. Other challenges include embracing constitutionalism, tackling minority concerns such as the rights of women and indigenous people, curbing ethnic tensions, and managing the transition from authoritarian to democratic governance.

An examination of the constitutional and legal framework of decentralisation under the 1996 Constitution shows that these issues have not been adequately addressed under the current arrangement. There is thus need for a fundamental constitutional overhaul that would provide a more effective decentralised framework for administrative, political and fiscal decentralisation. The new framework should entrench basic elements of constitutionalism such as upholding human rights, the separation of powers and judicial independence, and limiting the ease with which the Constitution can be amended.

Of recent Cameroon has been emphasizing on decentralization that is taking away power from the Centre to the base and at local level called councils. It is actually devolving power to the local government to be able to manage the affairs. Of recent, Cameroon has been talking of the need of decentralization since 1996, which was not yet implemented. The work seeks to look at the role the role of Local Governments (LGs) development in democratic decentralized systems via the framework of empowerment. The study argues that political empowerment is a necessary prerequisite in development.

This perspective also assumes that political decentralization enhances empowerment which provides an appropriate framework for responding efficiently to the needs of the local populace. Interdisciplinary approach was used to collect and analyze data from one hundred respondents using survey questionnaires and unstructured interviews.

This paradigm is rooted in the conviction that authoritarian governments have often failed to reach out to the local people through top-down approach to development. The results of the study reveal that power has not been devolved in its entirety from the central government to the decentralized units and that the rural masses are still not empowered and therefore do not participate fully in the development of Buea. The results of the study also reveal that in Cameroon, there is decentralization without empowerment.

Research Questions

 Main Research Question

What is the role of the Local government in socioeconomic development in Buea?

Specific Research Questions

1. What are the objectives and sources of income of the Buea Council?
2. What are the criteria used in funding projects within the municipality?
3. How do local people participate in the development process in Buea?
4. Which are the projects carried out by the Council?
5. What is the impact of decentralization on development in Buea?

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