Decentralisation and Spatial Rural Development Planning in Cameroon

6. Decentralisation and the Scope for Regional Rural Development

105 Chapter Six Decentralisation and the Scope for Regional Rural Development Post-independence rural development strategies Integrated Rural Development Projects (IRDP) initiated after Independence (1960s) generally adopted a multi-sectoral, regional approach to alleviate rural poverty. The approach aimed at raising rural incomes, mainly through increased agricultural productivity, and tried to consider the synergistic effects of basic education, health and other services (Engel, 1999). Projects usually followed an integrated but “Centralised” approach to local development. Implementation was in the hands of either Government line agencies or autonomous parastatal agencies. Neither Community Based Organisations (CBOs), nor local government institutions played a role in the process. These early IRDPs followed a top-down implementation, usually through one parastatal organisation. These are often characterised by rigid blueprint planning with implementation measures largely commodity-based rather than resource-based. These approaches were heavily criticised in the 1980s and the World Bank abandoned rural development projects in favour of traditional sector – specific programmes and structural adjustment lending. Bilateral donors took a radical view and tried to reform their rural development projects (GTZ, 1993). They did not see justified abandoning a directly, poverty-oriented, regional, supra-sectoral project approach to rural development and demonstrated, that many of the crucial problems were not linked to the approach itself and difficulties could be overcome. Towards the end of the 1980s “Regional Rural Development Planning (RRD) was further developed as a concept, which promotes the development of the particular region by giving emphasis to the spatial dimension of development and a regional framework of action. In some African countries such as Zimbabwe, South Africa, Mozambique, Zambia and Ghana these regional rural development efforts received a major impetus when decentralisation processes gained momentum and the link to such decentralisation was established. This chapter is based on experiences at community as well as district level (Engels, 1999). This is where any decentralisation efforts have to prove their effectiveness in terms of rural development and poverty alleviation. 106 Resources for local and participative development Decree No. 93/32 of 25th November 1993 and Decree No. 95/082 of 24th April 1995 created new rural councils and districts. After the council elections of 21st January 1996 rural councillors were elected. The question of their sustainability is a concern in the country. Do rural councils possess the capacity to effect rural development and to alleviate rural poverty? If we examine the budgets of rural councils in the North West Region (Table 5), the following conclusions can be made: - the little importance given to investments, which account for an average of less than 2% of their budgets. This suggests that local councils cannot invest in development projects using local resources. Moreover, councils have not received state subsidies for several years, hence, inadequate community-oriented planning; - the total lack of planning to promote local development in terms of rural infrastructure and basic socio-economic amenities; - the many loopholes in the tax collection system partly by deepening rural poverty, inaccessibility of taxpayers, lack of transportation facilities and the absence of tax control mechanisms. In the face of all these problems, the conclusion is that the financial means of local councils cannot effectively promote rural development programmes. District councils as self-government structures, therefore, cannot respond more effectively to the country’s development needs in general, and to local communities in particular. However, the implementation of the decentralisation law is anxiously awaited by Cameroonians. However, the central government continues to emphasise the commitment to the policy of self-reliance to local authorities. Major problems still persist: funds are still centralised, means of generating revenue to attain self-sufficiency are limited, and ministerial control is overwhelming. 107 Table 5: Estimates and proceeds of the Main Municipalities in North West Region, Cameroon Despite the above bottlenecks the government has frequently reaffirmed that decentralisation is necessary and desirable in that it promotes and strengthens democracy and civic responsibility in terms of governance and development. It also officially realises that decentralisation helps in cutting down bureaucracy, and may eventually lead to a more efficient governing system. There is need to strengthen local governing districts and to confront 108 inadequacies such as: inadequate planning procedures and instruments as well as technical capacity for development planning. Planning responsibilities of villages, rural districts, regions and Regions are not known and local demands are not met by financial plans at higher level. Sectoral plans are not coordinated . Economic promotion strategies at the village and...