Abstract

The main purpose of this study is to assess the failures of decentralisation in Cameroon, case study of the Buea Council. One of the most complex and critical problem facing organized societal actors in Africa today is the need for political space to mobilize autonomously from the state and from the party in power.

Those organizations that have asserted the greatest autonomy have generally been able to select their own leaders, push for far-reaching agendas, and involve themselves in politics to a greater extent than organisations that have been tied to the regime and/or dominant party, either formally or through informal patronage networks.

From findings a majority of respondents were in total acceptance to the fact that the central government should allow local councils to make their decisions so that the Buea council should fully enjoy its autonomy as provided in the Cameroon constitution. The quantitative research method was used in this study. 84% of the respondents were in total acceptance with the fact that the central government should provide Funds to local councils so that the Buea council should fully enjoy its autonomy as provided in the Cameroon constitution.

Findings from questionnaires again show that an overwhelming majority (94%) of the workers were in total acceptance to the fact that the central government should allow local councils to implement their decisions in as provided in the Cameroon constitution. Finally, majority of the workers were in total agreement with the fact that the central government should decentralize powers so that the Buea council should fully enjoy its autonomy as provided in the Cameroon constitution.

CHAPTER ONE

GENERAL INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background To The Study

Decentralisation is usually referred to as the transfer of powers from central government to lower levels in a political-administrative and territorial hierarchy (Crook and Manor 1998, Agrawal and Ribot 1999). This official power transfer can take two main forms. Administrative decentralisation, also known as deconcentration, refers to a transfer to lower-level central government authorities, or to other local authorities who are upwardly accountable to the central government (Ribot 2002).

In contrast, political, or democratic, decentralisation refers to the transfer of authority to representative and downwardly accountable actors, such as elected local governments” (Larson). “The term decentralisation is used to cover a broad range of transfers of the “locus of decision making” from central governments to regional, municipal or local governments” (Sayer et al.). Decentralization reform refers to “transforming the local institutional infrastructure for natural resource management on which local forest management is based” (Ribot). Decentralization is “the means to allow for the participation of people and local governments” (Morell).

“Decentralization in Guatemala has taken the form of “municipalization”, or deconcentration, as a highly centralized forest regulatory system has been delegated to municipalities” (Elias and Wittman).

Decentralization is transforming the structure of governance in Africa. Since the middle of the l980s most African countries have started a transfer of power, resources and responsibilities to their subnational governments. The pace of transformation is very uneven across countries. A few countries – namely, Ethiopia, South Africa and Uganda – are proceeding fast. A number of countries have just started the process and are presently creating new units and/or transferring responsibilities and revenues to them. A large group has only adopted legal texts that engage the central government to proceed towards a more decentralized system. Finally, in a few countries decentralization is still at the stage of the announcement of the policy

The decentralization in Cameroon involves the gradual disposal by the state to regional and local authorities of non-exclusive competence accompanied by human resources, technical, material and financial. This transfer of powers is governed by regulatory texts voted by the National Assembly and promulgated by the President of the Republic. And the transferred skills are successfully exercised as close as possible to the target populations. They allow decentralized territorial communities to promote participatory democracy, governance and development local social, educational, health, sporting, cultural, economic, artisanal and touristic

In Cameroon the decentralization does not date from today. It began between the two world wars first in British Cameroon with the indirect rule system of government practiced by Great Britain and involving the traditional Chiefs in the administration and management of the affairs of the city , finally in French Cameroon from 1941 with the creation of the Mixed Urban Communes (CMU) of Yaoundé and Douala.

It is constitutionalised by the Cameroonian constitution of June 2, 1972 which gives municipalities a legal framework by making them legal persons governed by public law enjoying financial, legal and administrative autonomy. The law n o 9 6/06 of 18 January 1996 amending the Constitution of 2 June 1972 just create a second category of decentralized local government: the region.

Local government on its part is viewed as a semi-autonomous area which is formed under the constitution or general laws of a state to carryout functions within a specified geographical area. Agbakoba (2004:14) stated that the local government is an administrative and political unit that is vested with the powers under law to govern a specified locality. Its philosophy is entrenched on the idea of grassroots level participation in government.

Scholars and practitioners have indicated that local government is not only formed as representative arm of government, but as a means by which goods and services are delivered to the people within the framework of enabling laws which established them.

Consequently, it is the need to foster a balanced development in the rural areas and enhance the full participation of rural dwellers that precipitate the establishment of local government administration. The local government constitutes as a channel of administrative and political structure and facilitates national integration, rural commitment in governance and a channel for fostering development at the grassroots level. Local government is viewed as a co-partner with the central government; therefore the research seeks to investigate decentralisation as a panacea for rural transformation in Cameroon.

One of the greatest challenge that Cameroon has had since independence is developing her rural sector. This has become so crucial that it became a prominent feature on the development agenda of successive government in Cameroon.

From the point of view the government as agents of development are will place to help the rural areas to develop. These can be done by investing in social and economic infrastructure such as roads, bridges, hospitals, schools, electrification and telecommunication. The other essential duties inherited from the Native Authorities include rural and the urban water supplies markets and libraries. We generally regard the convenience list as including those extra amenities which make for a better life in the community, other than those life in the community, other than those which are concerned with fighting discuss e.g. bus and lorry parks.

The regulation of handcarts on the streets, community and recreation centers, parks and open spaces, grazing areas and fuel plantations, the naming of streets and the numbering of buildings. These are recognized as automatically the responsibility of the local government. They also help in the service of park control and supply of water, electricity and gas, the provision of road and water transport, and any other trading undertaking that the central government specifically authorizes.

1.2 Statement Of The Problem

The decentralization policy in Cameroon has been a failure because one of the major prerequisites for the advent of a decentralization policy was not present when the policy was formulated in 1974: the national political/administrative environment was not conducive to the formulation and implementation of a viable decentralization policy.

Firstly, the circumstances under which the country acceded to independence and the evolution of its political and administrative institutions since 1961, could not be and have not been favourable for decentralization.

Secondly, the political and administrative institutions of the country are and have always been dominated by Francophone Cameroonians, “schooled” in French administrative tradition with its emphasis in practice on centralization.

There is therefore the need to advocate for the review of decentralization laws and regulations for a new reform to enhance a more effective local government administration

1.3 Research Questions

1. What is the role of decentralization in the growth of Cameroon?
2. To what extent has decentralization been effective in solving the problems of rural communities in Cameroon?
3. What constitutes the challenges confronting decentralization towards the transformation of Cameroon?

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