The financing agreements for the acquisition of this equipment were signed on Wednesday 22 May 2024 in Yaounde between the Government of Cameroon, represented by the Minister of the Economy, Planning and Regional Development, Alamine Ousmane Mey, and senior officials from Standard Chartered Bank, Eximbank USA and Private Export Funding Corporation.

A wind of change is blowing on decentralisation and local development in Cameroon with the signing of financing agreements for the project to set up an inter-municipal fleet of civil engineering and hydraulic machinery. The ceremony was highly attended by a number of key figures, including: Minepat, Minfi, Minddevel, Minmap, Minee, Mindel/Minepat, Setat/Mintp, the US Ambassador and the British High Commissioner to Cameroon, the Director General of FEICOM, the National President of the CVUCs (United Councils and Cities of Cameroon), the Director General of Standard Chartered Bank Cameroon, the President of the American company Hoffmann and several Mayors. According to the US Ambassador to Cameroon, H.E. Christopher John Lamora, the high profile of participants in this ceremony reflects the importance Cameroonian authorities attach to the decentralisation process.
During the ceremony, three financing agreements were signed. The first consisted of a credit of about CFAF 43.7 billion, guaranteed by Eximbank USA. The second is a commercial loan of about FCFA 11.3 billion. Finally, the third relates to the free-sharing arrangement between MINFI, FEICOM and the CVUCs.

According to the Minister for the Economy, the signing of these agreements is the result of an active synergy between the Government and the RLAs brought together under the umbrella of the United Councils and Cities of Cameroon (CVUC). “It is an impressive step that is firmly in line with the ongoing process of transferring powers, with a focus on public works, road maintenance and drinking water supply”, said Alamine Ousmane Mey.

Financed to the tune of 31.6 million US dollars, or nearly CFAF 55 billion, the project to set up an inter-municipal park of civil engineering and hydraulic machines aims to facilitate the exercise of the powers transferred by the State to the Councils in terms of road maintenance and drinking water supply. It is part of an ambitious government programme estimated at CFAF 97.2 billion. Its implementation involves: (i) the development of 5 zonal machine bases in each of the country’s 5 agro-ecological zones, namely Tiko (Littoral, South-West), Mfou (Centre, South), Mandjou (East, Adamawa), Koutaba (West, North-West) and Maroua (North-Far North); (ii) the acquisition of 270 civil engineering and hydraulic machines from the American company Hoffmann Equipment International, as well as 5 mobile crushing stations corresponding to the specific features of each agro-ecological zone; (iii) the establishment of a semi-public company to manage the fleet; (iv) the training of technical staff in the use and maintenance of the equipment; and (v) the provision of a machinery rental service to Councils.

According to the Minister of Decentralisation and Local Development, this new initiative reinforces the credibility of Cameroon’s decentralisation scheme, which was launched by the President of the Republic. It will make it possible to promote inter-municipal cooperation (two regions, one park) and will provide an appropriate response to the problems of building and maintaining community roads and supplying drinking water, which are at the heart of the concerns of Cameroon’s RLAs in general and the Councils in particular. As a result, “the project will support the association of the CVUCs in its concept of ‘production municipalities’, where each municipality is called upon to become a genuine pole of growth at grassroots level”, said the national President of the CVUCs. Augustin Tamba equally encouraged a continued tripartite collaboration between the CVUC, FEICOM and the government, to ensure greater efficiency in the implementation of this major project, the first machines of which are due to arrive in Cameroon at the end of 2024, according to the Director General of FEICOM, the project owner.