Southwest Governor and other stakeholders in the region after launching PIB for Southwest region
The 2024 investment budget for the Southwest Region stands at FCFA 22billion 476 million 590 thousand.
The figure was revealed on Tuesday, January 17, at the Buea Council premises during the launching of the investment budget by Southwest Governor, Bernard Okalia Bilai.
The Governor, in his keynote address, stressed the need for all stakeholders to prioritise collective interest over individual interest while beckoning on them to restrict unplanned expenditures and commit to respecting budgetary allocations.
The Governor also cautioned tax payers against tax evasion and discouraged respect of ghost towns on Mondays by some business owners in the region.
To him, the continuous respect of ghost towns, tax evasion, and personal interest will impede the raising of the supposed funds that are anticipated for the 2024 Fiscal year.
The Head of Missions, envoy from the Ministry of Finance was Bernard Njoh Niba, who hammered on the respect of procedures in the execution of the state budget with regards to exceptional procedures. That to him was the Minister’s order during the National launch, which held in Maroua recently.
He further uttered a clarion call to Buea stakeholders for them to be of a proactive and collaborative spirit. These, to Bernard Njoh Niba, are catalysts that will enable them find developmental long lasting solutions to the diverse problems of indigenes of the Southwest Region.
On his part, Dr. Nana Mbafong Emmanuel, a civil Engineer at the Ministry of Economy, Planning and Regional Development, was keen on the follow up and embankments of key road projects like the Kumba-Ekondo-Titi road, among others, and some farm-to-market roads, which will help boost, revamp and redynamise the economy of the SWR.
So far, 15 hydronic projects, 39 Agricultural projects and eight electricity projects to mention but these were executed in 2023 because of the respect for the time frame set aside for the contractual plan.
While hoping that the respect for the budgetary calendar will dominate the order of the day in 2024, all is set for a new budgetary nomenclature, with 26 figures involving Regional Assemblies and Institutional Organisations.
Honorine Cheng Abuck
Content Journalist/Data Journalist
