Society

Marie-Rose Messi and Joseph Owona, general manager and chairman of the board of directors of the Debt Recovery Corporation (CBC), respectively have been questioned by elements of the Higher State Control over allegations of embezzlement dating 2007 and 2015.

The auditors revealed 847 million was misappropriated by the leadership under Owona and Marie-Rose. Cameroon Concord gathered both  the CEO and the PCA have already been heard by the Higher State Control (Consupe).

Inside sources deep within the company told Camcord that there was no misappropriation of public funds and that the said amount was handed to workers of the company following a reasoned decision taken in 1996 by the late Justin Ndioro, then Minister of Finance.

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Ngwa Bertrand

30.Dec.2015

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Government is concerned about the standards of private elementary education and the welfare of teachers. Correspondingly, the Ministry of Basic Education has since three years been exploring means and ways of improving productivity in private primary schools by upgrading the working conditions of teachers. The two-year trial phase of the signing of contracts with private school owners began last year. At the end of the process next year, an evaluation will be carried out to know what it will take for government to assist some elementary schools.

Meeting at the Yaounde Conference Centre in a two-day workshop since December 28, 2015, National Secretaries and Education Secretaries discussed administrative and pedagogic management issues in order to boost performance. Speaking at the opening, the Minister of Basic Education, Youssouf Hadidja Alim, stressed that the contracts will boost access to education as well as improve its quality. She noted that this requires profound reforms, disclosing that government, with the support of partners, has already paid off 167 billion FCFA in subvention arrears to private schools while more funds were being sought to complete the process. While appreciating the support of the United Nations Educational and Cultural Organisation, UNESCO and other partners in preparing contracts with owners of private primary schools, the Minister admitted that 2015 was ending with access to universal basic education still a major challenge.

Sally Mairiga, the Director of Private Education in the Ministry of Basic Education, disclosed that the focus of the contracts will be rural areas where parents are generally poor. With the advent of contracts, tuition fees in partner schools are expected to be drastically reduced, he said. Sally Mairiga dismissed suggestions that the regular payment of subventions to all private primary schools was better than signing contracts only with some. He said after decades of paying subventions, the impact could not be determined because there were no prior terms of reference.

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Ngwa Bertrand

30.Dec.2015

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Board members of the “Chantal Biya” International Reference Centre for Research on the Prevention and Management of HIV/AIDS abbreviated CIRCB in the French Language yesterday, December 29, 2015, held its 7th ordinary meeting of the Management Committee during which focus was on the 2016 budget of the centre. Chairing the session was the President of the Management Committee, Jean Stephane Biatcha. After close to four hours of close-door discussion, Jean Stephane Biatcha told Cameroon Tribune (CT) that the board members could not adopt the 2016 budget of the research centre since they still need more information and analysis about certain aspects of the 2015 budget.

As such, an extra-ordinary meeting of members of the management committee will take place on January 15, 2016 during which the 2016 budget will be adopted. It should be recalled that the 2015 budget of the research centre was estimated at FCFA 6.9 billion. The 7th ordinary session which held after the special session of November 2015 and after the fourth session of the Scientific Council also examined the scientific report of the council. According to the President of the Management Committee, the scientific report of the council was appreciated by the board members.

In 2016, Chantal Biya’s International Reference Centre for Research on the Prevention and Management of HIV/AIDS will emphasis research on the mother-to-child transmission of HIV as well as early diagnosis of HIV in children. The board recommended that the Scientific Council should henceforth make public announcements for the recruitment of researchers in the centre so that more applicants can apply. Jean Stephane Biatcha and his team also reviewed the 2015 activities of the research centre and examined the 2016 performance plan.

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Ngwa Bertrand

30.Dec.2015

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The construction of the site hosting US soldiers in the city of Garoua is almost complete. More than two months ago, the first contingent of 90 US soldiers arrived the city. Cameroon Concord Intelligence Unit has been reliably informed that some 120 US troops are already present in Cameroon of the 300 announced.

US troops are providing a lot in the field of intelligence and aerial reconnaissance in the fight against the Nigerian Islamic sect, Boko Haram. President Paul Biya had announced the deployment of 300 US soldiers on June 14, 2015, as part of a plan strengthening the fight against Boko Haram in the north. Their mission intelligence, reconnaissance and surveillance.

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Ngwa Bertrand

30.Dec.2015

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Following instructions from the Minister of Transport Alain Edgard Mebo Ngoó on ensuring safe travel during Christmas and New Year, the Littoral Regional Delegation of Transport has been on the watch-out. The Regional Delegate, Pamela Ayuketa, has since been organising road safety campaigns by sensitising road users and owners of bus companies. The first campaign took the team to Bekoko, a junction in Douala where vehicles heading for the South West, West, North West and Littoral Regions abound.

With the use of a mega phone and fliers, passengers and drivers were sensitised on good conduct. They enjoined drivers to be prudent, disciplined and respect the Highway Code in order to avert accidents. Pamela Ayuketa, who led team of aides and some security officers, insisted that bus companies must use road-worthy vehicles and drivers given enough rest after each trip.

To passengers, she directed that they should call drivers to order if they notice any misconduct like over-speeding, taking of alcohol, smoking, playing music at high pitch and picking up passengers on the way. She discouraged passengers from inciting drivers to over-speed because they want to meet up with appointments. Since road safety concerns everyone, Pamela Ayuketa assured that her team will not get tired of sensitising passengers and bus company owners.

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Ngwa Bertrand

30.Dec.2015

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Grégoire Owona, Minister of Labour and Social Security, has finally revealed the nasty side of the CPDM regime. The Biya acolyte was seen at a recreational center in the midst of his courtiers, enjoying the rhythm of the controversial song "Coller La Petite" from the Cameroonian artist Franko. 

The song whose lyrics divided public opinion was presented to Cameroon MPs earlier this month in the last parliamentary session, as a real vector of moral depravity. However, members who hoped to see the government take action to prohibit the dissemination of this kind of music were surprised to see a highly placed CPDM baron dancing and actually "collering the petite".

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Ngwa Bertrand

30.Dec.2015

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