Decentralisation: Local Development Index Imminent

By George MBELLA, Cameroon Tribune
Members of the Local Services Inter-ministerial Committee met in yesterday, December 8, 2015 to examine the new tool that will enable a rational allocation of resources to councils.
The level of provision of basic services and infrastructure such as schools, health centres, potable water, sanitation and transport amongst others by sub-divisional
and city councils will henceforth be the prime requirement for the allocation of resources by the State. To that effect, a Local Development Index (LDI) has been set up to assess the scope and impact of council development activities on the well-being of the local population.
Members of the Local Services Inter-ministerial Committee met yesterday December 8, 2015 in Yaounde during an extraordinary session to examine the LDI and make concrete proposals for its finalisation before its adoption by in upcoming session of the National Decentralisation Council. Chairing the session, the Minister of Territorial Administration and Decentralisation (MINATD), René Emmanuel Sadi said the LDI was borne out of the necessity for the State to have a tool that will enable it ensure a fair and equitable allocation of resources to regional and local authorities. “The LDI will throw more visibility on actions taken on the field and enable the State to have data to promote the harmonious and balanced development of the country in such a way that some councils would not be less advantaged than others,” affirmed René Emmanuel Sadi.
The Local Development Index is implemented by the National Institute of Statistics following a technical assistance agreement signed on June 1, 2013 with MINATD and the Special Council Support Fund for Mutual Assistance (FEICOM). The agreement equally intended the LDI to serve at the same time as an instrument for development programming and planning and regional development. After selecting a set of development indicators, a nationwide study was carried out by NIS to establish the LDI which was reviewed yesterday.