The Chinese Government refused to sponsor the Presidential Plan for the Reconstruction and Development (PPRD) the North West and South West Regions of Cameroon citing the ongoing armed conflict.
The revelation was made by Prime Minister Chief Dr Joseph Dion Ngute during his recent visit to Bamenda, where he evaluated progress on the implementation of the plan.
The Prime Minister noted that, apart from insecurity in many parts of the North West, one of the major challenges facing the PPRD remains inadequate funding.
Strategic partners like China have refused to sponsor the project as long as the Anglophone armed conflict persists, while Japan has only limited its sponsorship to Fako Division of the South West, where relative peace exists.
“There are still some countries like China, that consider the North West and South West as red zones and will not join others to help us. Also, another country like Japan will tell us they can only sponsor projects in Fako Division, not anywhere else,” the PM said.
The PPRD was launched in 2020 as an offshoot of the 2019 Major National Dialogue, aimed at resolving the armed conflict in Cameroon’s English-speaking regions.
At its inception, the plan was widely criticized by observers who argued the government was “putting the cart before the horse”.
They preferred that reconstruction should only take place after a ceasefire and reconciliation.
However, the government, through Paul Tasong, the then National Coordinator of the plan, justified that reconstruction was essential for pacifying the embattled population and could pave the way for peace.
With the slogan “Build Back Better,” the PPRD is anchored on three pillars: rehabilitation and development of basic infrastructure, economic revitalization, and promotion of social cohesion.
Five years on, Prime Minister Dion Ngute says the plan has achieved significant results, including the reconstruction of several schools, markets, hospitals, water tanks, and community infrastructure destroyed during the crisis.
As part of the plan, vital roads such as the Bamenda-Babadjou highway have been rehabilitated, and plans are underway to repair urban roads within Bamenda city, which have been in a deplorable state.
While expressing regret over China’s refusal to fund the initiative, the Prime Minister commended several international partners for their contributions.
“As I earlier said, some of our partners told us recovery can’t take place when conflict has not ended. But we are happy that today they have come to realize that it is possible,” he stated.
“I will convey the gratitude of the Head of State to the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), which stood firmly by the government from the very beginning when no one seemed to believe recovery was possible in the very difficult context of the times. UNDP’s experience and reputation have contributed enormously, not only to proving that the concept was possible but also to achieving encouraging results and attracting other international partners such as Japan and the Islamic Development Bank to come to our aid. And I must say that because of that support and the realization on the ground, I am pleased to tell you that many other countries are now looking and seeing how they can come to help us.”
He also acknowledged contributions from partners such as the World Bank, European Union, African Development Bank, GICAM, GICAMC, Italy, France, and Bioson du Cameroon.
The plan is estimated to cost FCFA 2,500 billion and less than a quarter of these funds have been mobilised.
