National Coordinator unveils book on PNDP’s two decades of grassroots dev’t.

The book was launched in Yaounde on Thursday May 28, 2026. 

The publication, presented before government officials, mayors, development partners and stakeholders in local governance, retraces the internal workings of the programme. It documents more than two decades of participatory development initiatives across the country. 

It follows the 2022 scientific publication, “Decentralisation and Local Development: An Analysis of the Contribution of the PNDP,” which was prefaced by President Paul Biya. It was officially dedicated in August 2023.

Addressing the gathering at the launch, Nga said the new publication is carefully designed to make the programme’s history and achievements more accessible to a wider audience.

“This is not merely the presentation of a new book. It is above all the sharing of a national experience; a human, institutional, technical and patriotic experience built progressively over two decades in service of decentralised local authorities and the population,” she said.

She described the publication as a response to repeated calls from local elected officials, students, development practitioners and researchers, who she said had sought a simpler and more practical account of the programme’s experience; after the release of the earlier scientific volume.

“Many readers welcomed the scientific richness of the first book, but they also expressed the wish for a more direct, more pedagogical and more accessible account anchored in the lived reality of the programme. It is precisely from that demand that this new work was born,” Nga stated.

Structured as an interview with State Broadcaster Editorialist, Jean Atangana, the book explores the origins of the PNDP, the challenges encountered during its implementation, its operational methods and the lessons drawn from its management over the years.

Two decades of local development

Created by government in 2004, as part of broader State modernisation reforms and the decentralisation agenda, the PNDP has supported councils through participatory local planning, project financing, capacity building for local officials and governance reforms.

According to Nga, the programme’s intervention model was built around community consensus and local ownership.

“When we finance a micro-project, its selection is validated through municipal council resolutions. These are collective choices made by elected representatives of the communities. What is financed reflects the consent and priorities of the local population,” she said.

The official added that over the years, the programme has worked with councils nationwide, supporting projects ranging from classroom construction and water supply systems to health infrastructure and governance strengthening initiatives.

Nga said successive evaluations have shown strong beneficiary satisfaction, which she attributed to community participation in both project identification and implementation. 

She furthered that the PNDP’s operational philosophy is rooted in dialogue, participation, responsibility and proximity between local authorities and citizens.

“These values have gradually built trust between councils and their communities. They explain much of the programme’s impact across local territories,” she noted.

Building on scientific foundations

The National Coordinator recalled that the first PNDP publication, released in 2022, through L’Harmattan Publishers, provided an analytical review of the programme’s first 16 years.

Quoting from President Biya’s preface, she said: “The reflections contained in that book constitute a valuable source of information for local elected officials, development actors and researchers, who will find fresh insight into decentralised local authorities”.

According to Nga, that endorsement represents both recognition and responsibility for the programme.

“It was an honour because it recognised the work accomplished; an encouragement because it called for continued capitalisation of national experience; and a responsibility because it obliges us to transmit these lessons to as many people as possible,” she said.

Preserving institutional memory

Published by L’Harmattan Publishers, the new volume combines narrative testimony with photographs illustrating PNDP projects and field interventions. 

Nga said the choice of the same publisher was intended to ensure editorial continuity, wider dissemination and international visibility for the programme’s experience.

She also used the occasion to thank the government, technical and financial partners, including the World Bank, the French Development Agency and the European Union, as well as councils and PNDP staff at both central and regional levels.

Closing the ceremony, Nga said the publication sought to preserve institutional memory and provide practical lessons for future generations involved in decentralisation and local governance.

“Our ambition is simple: to transmit a useful experience, to share methods and practices that have proven effective, and to inspire all those who believe that local development is above all a collective undertaking founded on trust, method and commitment,” she said.

Marie Madeleine Nga, an agronomist trained at the National Higher School of Agronomy in Yaounde, is holder of a diploma from the Centre for Financial, Economic and Banking Studies in Paris, France. She has coordinated the affairs of PNDP since its inception. 

This article was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3804 of Monday June 01, 2026