60th CPA Conference

What Cameroon benefits from Commonwealth
At a press briefing last week to announce the holding in Yaounde of the 60th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference, CPC, the Vice-president of the Cameroon National Assembly and Coordinator of the organization of the 60th CPA Conference, Hon. Emilia Monjowa Lifaka, said that Cameroon has scored a major diplomatic victory, following its designation to host the CPC, apart from other huge gains that she has made since joining the gentleman’s club in 1995.
By Macquens Balemba in Yaounde
The holding of the 60th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference in Yaounde is a major diplomatic victory for the people of Cameroon, who are deeply attached to the promotion of the core values of parliamentary democracy, human rights, good governance and press freedom that the Commonwealth stands for.
    This was contained in the scripted remarks of the vice-speaker of the Cameroon National Assembly and General Coordinator of the organization of the CPC in Yaounde, Hon. Emilia Monjowa Lifaka. She was briefing journalists last week on the hosting of the 60th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference, CPC, in Yaounde from 2-10 October 2014.

    Hon. Lifaka said the conference would afford Cameroon a veritable opportunity to consolidate its achievements and accomplishments as a member of the Commonwealth of Nations, as well as showcase the fundamental values of peace, social harmony, inter-cultural co-existence and solidarity that characterize life in Roger Milla’s country.
    Besides, it will also be an occasion for the over 800 conference attendees to discover Cameroon’s legendary hospitality and peace.
    Apart from these, “Cameroon will take the opportunity of the 8-day conference to also showcase its economic potentials, its cultural and tourist assets, its rich historic and socio-anthropological heritage, as well as its highly diversified political landscape,” madam Lifaka highlighted.
    The gains that Cameroon will make from hosting the 60th CPC will only add to the big harvests she has brought home since joining the 53-member gentleman’s club in November 1995: The Cameroon parliament has participated in almost all CPA activities since 1995 and several socio-economic projects submitted by Cameroon have been funded by the Commonwealth.    These include over 500 scholarships granted to Cameroonian students and researchers; technical support to various sectors of national life; the organization of two investment forums in Cameroon; providing technical support and advice during the drafting of the electoral code and the setting up of Elections Cameroon-ELECAM and the drawing-up of the new criminal procedure code etc.
    Though coming in the wake of serious security and health concerns notably Boko Haram in the North, anti-Balaka in eastern frontiers with CAR, over 260.000 refugees from Nigeria and CAR and the recent Ebola scare, Hon. Lifaka assured that the Cameroon government has put all in place to make sure the 60th CPC runs through in a calm and peaceful atmosphere.
    Yet, she would not reveal to the public what this enormous effort of the government’s will cost the Cameroonian tax-payer in Francs CFA.