Visiting Gabonese delegation taps from FEICOM’s expertise in managing councils.

The words of appreciation were voiced out in Mbalmayo, Nyong and So’o Division of the Centre Region. 

This was when the Gabonese Minister of Decentralisation, Cohesion, and Territorial Development, Michel Manga Missone, and his delegation came to the end of their study visit to Cameroon on Saturday May 13.

The study visit kicked off a day earlier in Yaounde, with the Gabonese delegation engaging in different activities with their hosts, the Cameroon Minister of Decentralisation and Local Development, George Elanga Obam, on the one hand, and the Director General of FEICOM, Camille Philippe Akoa, on the other. 

On Friday May 12 at the FEICOM headquarters in the Mimboman neighbourhood of Yaounde, the team from Gabon was treated to a series of activities.

In the multipurpose hall of FEICOM, Ntye Ntye Daniel, made a presentation of the host institution to the visitors to begin deliberations for the day; while Bossoko Pierre, made his presentation on the mechanisms FEICOM uses to mobilise its resources.

After exchanges between the visitors and FEICOM officials on these two topics, Mbabou Brice presented the engineering component of projects designed for decentralised collectivities, be they regional, city or sub-divisional councils.

Alioum Oumarou, made a presentation on mechanisms for follow up and control of investments; while Ngane Suzanne, delivered made a presentation on partnership programmes and projects. These were followed by exchanges between local and visiting officials.

The visitors were taken on a guided tour of FEICOM headquarters, where they saw the local development observatory; the Alioune Badiane Hall; the archives room; and the Saver room.

After this, the visitors signed the golden book of FEICOM, and had exchanges with the press, which closed activities on the first day.

Mbalmayo field visit

The visit to Mbalmayo was an initiative introduced by the management of FEICOM to enable the visitors see, first-hand, standard projects being executed in the local milieu to serve as models for duplication and replication in decentralised collectivities all over the country.

Consequently, the Gabonese were shown round the My Dream School project under constructed in the Mbockulu neighbourhood of Mbalmayo. 

The ground floor of the school will have six spacious classrooms that, according to the designers, will inspire and guarantee comfort, beauty and contain up-to-date facilities to ease teaching and learning. It will also have a conveniences bloc.

The first floor also has six similar classrooms, three staircases and other facilities. A sumptuous administrative bloc has a big office for the Head Master/Mistress, staff room, sanitary sections for adults and pupils, a section for serving meals and a first aid section.

The final structure will habour a modern library, with a reception, management section, books borrowing section, reading room, computer room, and conveniences. All these were shown to the visiting Gabonese team. 

From the My Dream School, the visitors were driven to the modern market/bus station complex. Here, a crowd of singing and dancing residents welcomed the Gabonese. 

The team was shown round the facility by the mayor, accompanied by officials of the administration.

The Director General of FEICOM, Camille Akoa, recalled that the Gabonese were coming to exchange experience with FEICOM, similar to the one they had during the 11^th edition of the central Africa border trade fair that holds every year at Kye-Ossi.

The FEICOM boss disclosed that the yearly border trade fair was an initiative introduced by the Yaounde government with aim to spur development and promote sub regional integration.

From these trade fairs, DG Akoa said, Gabon saw what FEICOM has been doing to promote grassroots development, so they decided to come and tap from the source.