Acknowledgement for Best Practices:

Kumbo Council wins 2nd Feicom award in row

By Njodzefe Nestor

Mayor NjongFonyuyDonatus of Kumbo

Kumbo Council in Bui division of the North West region has again emerged victorious at The Special Council Support Fund for Mutual Assistance, FEICOM, National Award for Councils’ Local Development Best Practices.

                She won the second edition of the Regional Prize for Northwest launched in partnership with the United Nations Human Settlements Programme, UN-HABITAT, worth FCFA 2 million after presenting ‘The Mayor’s Day Program’ as a best practice.

                During the maiden edition of the award in 2012, kumbo council emerged victorious with ‘The One Child-One Tree’ Project.

According to the specifications of the award a project will be identified worth that amount, which FEICOM will subsequently finance. It is worth mentioning that funds from the previous edition were used by Kumbo Council to supply 60 benches, the head teacher’s table, chair and cupboard of Government Practicing School Kiyan-Kumbo.

                Mayor´s Day according to the Kumbo Council facebook page was instituted by mayor NjongFonyuyDonatus in 2005, as a day whereby the mayor communes with the less privileged in Kumbo.

                These underprivileged the page adds include inmates of the Kumbo Principal Prison, orphans at the Shisong Orphanage, the visually impaired of the integrated school for the blind, groups of physically challenged persons, children with autism at the Kumbo Chrystal foundation, children from Kumbo schooling at the Integrated deaf for the school Mbingo, the elderly and families with sets of triplets.

                The FEICOM award according to a communiqué signed earlier this year that launched the competition seeks to strengthen local governance by disseminating the best local development initiatives, in line with the Millennium Development Goals, MDGs, and the Growth and Employment Strategy Paper, GESP.

                It also aims to replicate best practices in councils and city councils, strengthen inter-council links, set up an interface between local authorities, universities and the private sector, promote sustainable local development and enhance Cameroon’s councils at the international arena.

                The award is given every two years and is opened to councils, city councils and groupings of councils and focuses on activities like revenue collection, management of facilities and infrastructures, local governance and sustainable development.

 Each candidate submits at most three practices which must have been carried out by the submitting Council, City Council or Councils grouping. The said practices might have been undertaken by the current council executive or the previous ones. Each practice submitted shall comply with the areas of Award and must have been operational for at least two years.