Fostering dev’t, empowering rural communities: SOWEDA budgets over 5.4 billion FCFA for 2024.

 The budget adopted will ensure that the institution meets up with its development obligations in both the livestock and agriculture sectors.

The 2024 budget, which stands at 5,477,739,219 FCFA, dwarfs that of 2023, which stood at 2,465,587,976 FCFA. It was adopted during the 49th Board meeting, on December 15 at Buea Mountain Hotel.

The board meeting came on the heels of an in-depth examination of the Draft Budget by the Audit Committee, in the presence of the Director General who clarified members. The Committee also examined the Draft Audit Plan presented by the Internal Audit Unit, a Charter and Code of Ethics for the Internal Audit Unit, which were presented to the board for approval.

The Director General also briefed the Development Committee on the execution of ongoing Protocol Agreements and Memorandum of Understanding, MOUs, signed by SOWEDA, as well as on the elaboration of status of some pre-project documents.  

Speaking to the press on the increased budget, the Board chair, Herbert Apande Ediage, said the goal of the budget was to boost the welfare of the people of the South West Region. 

“…We want to improve the productivity, production and competitiveness of the rural sector, and intensify the resilience of agricultural production systems to combat climate change. Improve the infrastructural environment in the region and the development of the livestock and fisheries sector,” he said.

Board lauds management for increased budget

The Board lauded the management of SOWEDA, led by its Director General, Dr Besong Ntui Orgork, for their strides in getting formidable partners ready to support its mission. The increase in the budget this year was largely due to partners like the "Emergency Project to Combat Food Crisis in Cameroon", PULCCA, and the Presidential Plan for the Reconstruction and Development of the North West and South West Regions, PPRD-NW/SW.

Such initiatives, according to the Board Chair, must be intensified to maintain the upward trend of the budget in the years ahead. Partners like the PPRD-NW/SW offering a sum worth just under one billion FCFA, as SOWEDA is a designated co-implementing partner of the project in the region and the Emergency Project to Fight Food Scarcity in the region backed by the World Bank, are also collaborating to provide 2.2 billion FCFA for SOWEDA to identify and assist internally displaced persons.

The Board also applauded the management and staff of the institution for their commitment in fulfilling the vision of the institution as outlined yearly by the board. 

“There has been a complete turnaround in the quality of reporting. Management now masters the Programme Budget, newly created services like Communication, Management Control and Internal Audit are working superbly, the SOWEDA website is functional and the Standing Committees of the Board are operational,” the Board chair said. 

Given that the region recently hosted a Banana-Plantain Festival organised by FBPC, an Association of banana-plantain stakeholders in Cameroon, management was encouraged to exploit all the opportunities resulting from the festival and partner with the different investors that are expected in the sector.

SOWEDA, according to the Board Chair, should exploit the opportunities offered by the decentralisation process, by liaising with Regional House of Assembly and Local Councils to fast-track development. In this light, management was urged ‘to be a bit more aggressive’ in its marketing to make sure SOWEDA is centrally positioned in the execution of the Development Plans of both the Regional Assembly and Local Councils.