Project management: Social affairs minister pledges to ensure effective use of social guide.

This was during a ceremony to present the social guide for project management. 

The event was attended by the representatives of the African Development Bank, AfDB, technical and financial partners, sectoral administrations, public administration establishments, and the Coordinator of the Agricultural Value Chain Development Project, PDCVA, amongst others. 

Speaking at the event, Minister Irene Nguene lauded the work done that led to the presentation of the social guide. She also revealed that the social guide was a major step towards protecting the rights of people in general and socially vulnerable populations in particular, who are affected by projects in Cameroon. 

The minister added that the important working tool, which defines the methods and procedures for managing the human and social risks of projects, was arrived at during the interregional consultations. 

She said with Cameroon aiming to become an emerging nation by 2035, several projects have been earmarked. The minister said it is for this reason that the ministry has redoubled efforts to prevent the worsening of social vulnerabilities and equitable access to vulnerable people and ensuring protection and inclusion. 

Irene Nguene explained that President Biya created the National Brigade for Monitoring Social Compliance of Projects on July 18, 2017. She added that in order to ensure its materialization, the Prime Minister, Head of Government, signed a decree in July 2022 fixing the modalities of the control of the social conformity of projects. 

The decree, the minister said, is part of a structural reform to ensure that the concerns of the local communities and socially vulnerable people affected by the implementations of projects are taken into account. It also creates a framework for monitoring the social compliance of projects. 

According to the minister, the social guide is a technical reference tool that defines the methods and procedures for managing the human risks of projects. 

The minister said it is intended for all players in the project social compliance chain in particular like project promoters, sectoral administrations, civil society, decentralized local authorities, the National Commission for Monitoring Project Compliance and even local populations impacted by projects. 

The general objective, she stressed, is to improve stakeholders' knowledge of the issue of the project social compliance and to report on the results of the inter-regional consultation workshops. 

The minister added that users of the handbook will be able to use it for all purposes particularly to master the various terminologies used in project, human and risk management; identify pillars and recognize the markers of human and social risk in projects.

The minister disclosed that the appropriation phase of the Guide of Social Project Management has begun. 

Enter Head of National Brigade 

Speaking earlier during her presentation, the Head of National Brigade for Control of Social Compliance of Projects, Wendjel Caroline, said the social guide is a very important tool. 

According to Wendjel, the social guide also details how projects are assessed before they are implemented and how a project is monitored during its implementation. 

Wendjel said they intend to organize large-scale capacity building sessions involving all stakeholders concerned. The first, she hinted, shall bring together staff of MINAS.