East Region: Local Dev’t minister inaugurates Abong-Mbang Council Shopping Centre.

It was Decentralisation and Local Development Minister, Georges Elanga Obam, who inaugurated the state-of-the-art structure. 

This was during a heavily attended ceremony which took place in the presence of administrative, religious and traditional authorities as well as elite of the East Region.

Estimated to have cost 639 million FCFA, the construction of the modern facility was financed by the Special Council Support for Mutual Assistance, FEICOM.

Speaking as he commissioned the giant infrastructure, Minister Elanga Obam, recalled that: “In August 2023, I made a stopover at Abong-Mbang to visit the site of the shopping centre which was still under construction. The directives I gave for the completion of the site were followed, making it possible to hold the inauguration ceremony bringing us together this morning”.

The minister explained that inauguration of the infrastructure was proof of the relevance and effectiveness of the economic role of regional and local authorities.

He said with the new shopping centre, Abong-Mbang was making the bet to modernise its shopping infrastructure and demonstrating the importance of trading activities in the key economic area of the East Region.

He recounted to attendees that: “A few weeks ago, on March 5, 2024, to be precise, Abong-Mbang was at the centre of the commodities trade news because of a historic event. This involved the group sale of cocoa harvested in this production basin leading to the price per kilogramme rising to an all-time high”.

The minister continued that: “Since March 5, 2024, Abong-Mbang has become one of the leading national and international cocoa trading centres. From now on, our farmers will come here because of the better sale conditions, and buyers for better-quality produce”.

He said beyond government satisfaction, he sees the increase in the price of cocoa as a motivation factor for all those involved, and a challenge to the local authorities of the said municipality.

“Please take this as an opportunity to make Abong-Mbang a multi-sector development hub that will irradiate the other towns in the division,” he urged, stating that: “Using an integrated and collaborative approach, councils in Upper Nyong, the East Regional Council, and government departments must encourage the upstream production of various food and cash crops; create the conditions for local processing; and enable a balance between supply and demand within the framework of modern market facilities such as the one that brings us together this morning”.

Turning to the business of the day, Minister Elanga Obam noted that the launching of the first phase of the Abong-Mbang shopping centre was timely, as the locality begins to move up a gear in its drive for development. 

“The outstanding work before us echoes current events, sounding like a fitting response to a nagging need on the part of residents to see their town equipped with commercial infrastructure worthy of its name, comfortable, functional and safe,” he said.

The minister encouraged authorities of the Abong-Mbang Council to secure the revenue that the infrastructure will generate based on the business plan provided to FEICOM. 

“The objectives that led to the construction of this shopping centre will only be achieved if it is maintained and serviced to ensure its longevity, and if it is operated efficiently,” the minister advised, mentioning that: “As an infrastructure that generates income and jobs, the council must be able to make the most of it in terms of the project's economic profitability, not only to guarantee repayment of the loans contracted for this purpose but also to ensure the financial balance of the council, in a financially constrained context that is forcing regional and local authorities to become real economic actors”.