Blazing the trail in North-South cooperation

Kumbo Council twins with La Crosse, USA
By Njodzefe Nestor

Family photo immortalizing twinning deal

Kumbo Council in Bui division of the North West region has sealed a twinning deal with the City of La Crosse Common Council in Wisconsin, United States of America.
The no-nonsense Mayor of Kumbo Council, Njong Donatus Fonyuy led a strong nine man delegation to the US from June 29th to July 8th 2014 to make this deal a reality. Conspicuous in the delegation was the Senior Divisional Officer for Bui division, Nzeke Theophile, the fourth deputy Mayor, Jaff Njibril and some Reverend Sisters. 
    This Sister City relationship was formed following Kumbo Council’s request for twinning in 2012.  The Councilors of Kumbo Municipality sitting in an ordinary session in December 2012 also took a resolution, whereby the Lord Mayor of Kumbo was empowered to formalize this Sister City relationship. On March 14, 2013, the City of La Crosse Common Council passed a resolution approving the Kumbo Council as a sister city.

    To this effect, a La Crosse Wisconsin delegation led by Dr. Lee Rasch, who is the President of the Western College and head of the Twinning Commission in the City of La Crosse, accompanied by his spouse was sent to Kumbo on the 18th of June 2013 with the official acceptance letter and the City of La Crosse Deliberation to twin with Kumbo.
    This agreement was presented to the public on May 25, 2013.
    It is against this backdrop that Mayor Njong led a delegation of nine people to La Crosse from June 29th to July 8th 2014.
    Speaking to this reporter late last year when the twinning was accepted, Njong Donatus Fonyuy said the partnership was aimed at enhancing social, economic and cultural ties with the partners expected to learn from each other.
    The legitimate deal is in consonance with section 16 of the 2004 law on the orientation of decentralization read alongside section 131(1), section 132(2), section 133(a) of the law to lay down rules applicable to councils, where councils are given the freedom to form and maintain cooperation ties with other councils and organizations nationally and internationally.
    Worthy of note is the fact that this is not the first time Kumbo Council is twinning with a foreign council. Kumbo council had twinned with the city of San Donatos in Italy but the partnership got frozen when a different party took over the council.