CAMEROON/INTERVIEW WITH MRS. EKOSSO, MAYOR OF MANJO
In what condition did you find this community when you took office?
When we take office in March 2020 in the commune of Manjo, we find a local authority under construction. The mandate of my predecessor laid the groundwork through the realization of some works for the benefit of the population. Much remained and remains to be done to significantly improve the environment and the living conditions of the valiant populations of Manjo.
What would you like us to retain from your mid-term report in terms of achievements?
With the whole of the municipal council, the municipal agents and the population, we have undertaken many projects. Some are already completed, others are underway, and still others are in the planning stage. As achievements, we can mention among others
In the field of education
- The construction of several classrooms in the schools of the Manjo district;
- The construction of on-call housing in the Manjo Emeng school group;
- The construction of a block of latrines in primary and nursery schools;
- The rehabilitation of the public schools of Mantem 1 and 2;
On the social level
- Assistance to the orphanage of Manjo (Manjo children's house)
- Assistance to the disabled (delivery of wheelchairs, canes, hearing aids);
- Construction of kindergarten blocks in Mantem 1 and Ngol;
- The distribution of the minimum package to the elementary school of the district;
- The distribution of more than 1000 tables and benches to schools and high schools in Manjo;
In terms of drinking water supply
-The construction of a borehole in Mikome which supplies several districts;
- The rehabilitation of the well in Emeng
In terms of support to the professional training of young people
-Installation of computer equipment at the multifunctional youth promotion center in Manjo;
In terms of communal infrastructure
- The construction and opening of roads
- The MANTEM-MANENGOTENG road
- The NGOLSI-ABANG road
- The PTT MANJO-MOUANDONG-ABANG market road
- The road MISSION CATHOLIC NJOUMBENG 1-MOUETOUK-MOUAKOUMEL
- NJOUMBENG 1- NSOUNG road
- Maintenance of rural roads;
On the level of the empowerment of the communal institution for the improvement of the own receipts
- The construction of 80 stores in the central market of Manjo;
- The construction of R+1 buildings at the Manjo bus station;
- The construction of a modern shed at the Manjo market for the sale of fresh food;
Do you have the feeling since your arrival at the head of the executive to have federated, behind you, the populations organized within the intermediary bodies as well as the majority of the members of the municipal council to carry out your missions?
Yes, through the effective setting up of the Budgetary Orientation Debate (DOB) which brings together all the components of society (municipal councillors traditional chiefs, elites, civil society, the disabled... in order to define and propose projects for the development of Manjo.
What are the key projects for the second part of your mandate?
As key projects for the second part of our mandate, I would like to mention :
- In the field of education
In order to promote access to education for all, we will continue to increase the density of our school map by building and equipping full-cycle school infrastructures and by putting in place solidarity mechanisms to provide school support to students from difficult backgrounds;
-In terms of drinking water supply
In order to promote access to drinking water for all, we will ensure the supply of water to areas not yet provided, notably: in MANTEM, in neighborhoods and urban centers such as: EMENG, MANEWANG, NKUA, NDIANG, KWALLA and in rural areas;
In terms of urbanization
- We will put a point of honor to the creation of social housing, a monument of embellishment of the urban center, and the equipment in solar panels for the public lighting. Also, in projection, the asphalting of at least 2 sections of roads, the acquisition of bins for the collection of household waste;
On the level of the autonomy of the communal institution by the improvement of its own revenues
- We plan to build about thirty new stores;
- The reactivation of collection campaigns in order to secure revenues, thus continuing our operations to make the tax base more viable;
- The continuation of the construction of public toilets;
In terms of communal infrastructure
- We plan to build a communal hotel;
- The construction of a mini cassava processing plant;
- The construction and rehabilitation of new roads;
How would you like to be remembered for your time as head of the executive of the commune of Manjo?
My wish is to be in the consciousness and memories that the populations could have of my person through the various actions of development that I would have carried out for the well-being of the populations of Manjo;
What is the typology of the commune of Manjo in terms of population?
Manjo is a cosmopolitan city with several ethnic groups and a large flow of internally displaced persons who are very welcome here;
Is there any decentralized cooperation here in Manjo from both inside and outside the country?
There is an idea in gestation of an inter-communal cooperation common to all the localities of Mongo, as for the international, my wish is to mobilize several partnerships of thematic twinning associating the city of Manjo to the counterpart cities of friendly countries of Cameroon;
Would you like to say a final word?
My wish is to make Manjo a showcase, a model of openness among the territories engaged in the operationalization of the competences transferred in the framework of decentralization.
Interview by NESTOR HEMLE,
1 Jour journalist, as part of the series of mid-term or end-of-term local mandate review interviews
