United Councils & Cities of Cameroon:

 Wum Mayor Reveals Quest for Presidency
-Unveils ambitious manifesto, road map ahead of 3 November EGA
By Essan-Ekoninyam in Yaounde
The mayor of the Wum council, Dighambong Anthony Mvo has rolled out a strategic plan for the United Councils and Cities of Cameroon, UCCC. The plan was unveiled Saturday in Yaounde during a press conference.
  

Mayor Dighambong declaring his candidature to the press on Saturday

 Mayor Dighambong’s ambitious strategic document for the said association is the content of an attractive and development-oriented manifesto issued ahead of the November 3 elective general assembly of the body.
    The document which was made available to newsmen during the press conference contains both short and long term projects he intends to realize if elected president of the outfit.
    Mayor Dighambong said Saturday that he is amongst candidates vying for the top job of the organization.
    He will be challenged by at least four other candidates but he has so far been tipped favourite.
    He is the lone Anglophone gunning for the presidency of the UCCC and if voted, he will be the first ever mayor from the English-speaking regions of the country to have occupied the position.

What he has in offing for the UCCC
    Mayor Dighambong Anthony who currently serves as the president of all CPDM mayors in the North West region says his intention is to transform the UCCC into a veritable organization which plays a key role in influencing policy.
    Amongst other things, the Mayor Dighambong has pledged that if voted, he will organize General Assemblies every year to improve the visibility and governance of the association by, inter alia, giving their regional and Divisional representatives the opportunity to share their worries and needs directly to the National Bureau.
    He has also promised to construct or lay the foundation of a multipurpose complex for the "Mayor's Hotel" which would permit local elected officials and other municipal authorities to have access to affordable accommodation and modern work facilities on preferential conditions while in the capital city of Yaounde.
    Mayor Dighambong says his team will facilitate the construction of a Headquarters for the National Office of the UCCC and support all regional offices to do the same as well as establish a health insurance and social assistance scheme for local elected officials.
    He has promised to revive the process of recognition of Mayors as a constituted corps by the state during official ceremonies as well as re-launch the process of recognition of UCCC as an important arm of the state.
    The mayor says if elected, he will prioritize the best practices in social and economic development and stimulate healthy competition between municipalities by creating a Municipal yearly award within councils of each Division.
    He has also committed to strengthen and enhance the participation of UCCC in the activities of the pan-African and international municipal movements.
    He has said the United Councils and Cities of Cameroon ,UCCC, under his leader will be given new impetus, to continue to advance the process of decentralization and local development in the Country as per the instructions and directives of President Paul Biya.
    To do this, he continued “We will have to bank on our achievements over the past few years, putting in mind that the process of decentralization is irreversible…”.
    “Our Association should, more than ever before, strive to improve on governance and strengthen capacities by way of dialogue, negotiation as well as trainings, involving all local actors in the preparation and monitoring of these policies that have a great impact on our different municipalities” he stated in the manifesto.
    He said 17 years after its creation by merging two former associations of Cameroon municipalities, the UCCC has gradually become part and parcel of the institutional landscape of decentralization, thanks in particular to the rich road map portfolio of the state and other partners, both national and international.
    However, he regretted “this recognition has hardly given our Association the influential and imposing position it deserves, allowing the Mayors show case their expertise and practical experience on various important issues of the decentralization process and local development. In a bid to fast track Decentralisation as prescribed by the Head of state and marked by the ongoing zeal, determination and reinforcement of its prescription, the effective implementation of the new legal instrument must necessarily be influenced by the practical experience of Mayors in the domain of local governance”.
    The stuff mayor Dighambong is made of Dighambong Anthony MVO is a native of Aghem-Wum in Menchum Division of the North West region, where he has served as Mayor of the Wum Council since the municipal elections of September 2013.
    He is therefore a municipal magistrate, experienced with many achievements, notably in the domain of infrastructure and health that has improved the living conditions of the people of his municipality.
    After a successful first mandate, in a context marked by the effective transfer of certain competences to the Municipalities, Mayor Dighambong was able to appraise and evaluate the difficulties and challenges faced by mayors in order to better and commonly seek for sustainable solutions to the needs of the populations, especially in an area which is hard hit by the socio-political crises.
    His commitment and believe for a strong and united municipal movement is motivated by the conviction that the significant increase in council resources (Financial and Human) especially the effective transfer of those provided for by the Law, and the improvement of local governance are the pillars on which the acceleration of successful decentralization will be built.