Bilingualism commission budgets over 3 BFCFA, allocates 500 MFCFA for investment.

The amount was voted Thursday January 26. This was during the first bi-annual session of the NCPBM for this year. The meeting took place in Yaounde yesterday.

The President of the NCPBM, former Prime Minister, Peter Mafany Musonge, chaired the session. Members of the commission who answered present validated the budget that will guide the institution’s activities for the current year.

Among key innovations for 2023, the commission has stepped up its investment budget to 500 million FCFA. The amount witnessed an increase of 300 million FCFA compared to 2022. Meanwhile, two billion six hundred and eighty million FCFA (2,680,000,000) will be used to run the institution.

According to the President of the NCPBM, the increase in investment budget is in line with the institution’s vision to step up work on the field nationwide.

He noted that, “the budgetary choices of the Commission have been done following the strategic guidelines and measures to rationalise public expenditure,” adding that it also “takes into account the requirement of the effective implementation of our programmed activities for 2023”.

Mafany Musonge said, this 2023, the institution will not slowdown on the achievements of 2022. He cited the Head of State’s message of December 31, 2022, to the nation wherein, he made an appeal, “to those using social media for criminal and malicious purposes. Through their actions, particularly disinformation, defamation, and spreading hate speech, they cause distress to numerous families and often ruin lives. Clearly, they jeopardize social cohesion”.  The Bilingualism Commission boss said, the Head of State’s observation is clear that there is more work for him and his team this year.

To the members of the commission, Mafany Musonge reiterated that, to get palpable results on the field, they must rise to the occasion to defend the course of the NCPBM. The social vices Biya cited in his December 31, 2022 message, the former  Prime Minister maintained, is another call from the highest personality of the name for the bilingualism commission to work to bring them to the  barest minimum.

The Secretary General of the Commission, Dr Chi Asafor Cornelius, used yesterday’s session to present the midterm expenditure framework and annual performance report.

In the coming months, Musonge said, there will be no time to waste to enhance the crusade to see that services offered to citizens nationwide especially official documents are published in French and English.

NCPBM regional antennas imminent

To further take its mission closer to the population, the Bilingualism commission that has been active in the crusade against hate speech, xenophobia among others, Mafany Musonge said, will soon have regional antennas nationwide.

With this in view, Musonge sounded confident that, he and his collaborators are going to hit another milestone in 2023. To note that the law creating the institution   makes room for it to have regional structures nationwide to better serve the population.