Public investment Projects:

Hon. Awudu Mbaya

NW losing millions due to under-pricing of contracts
By Njodzefe Nestor in Bamenda
The lowest bidder principle specified in article 33 section 1 of the public contract code in Cameroon as one of the criteria for the award of public contracts has been identified as a stumbling block to sustainable development.
    This and many other issues were concerns raised at the first semester participatory follow-up meeting to evaluate the level of physical and financial execution of the 2015 public investment projects in the North West region.
    The meeting that held at the MINEPAT building on Thursday July 16 was chaired by the President of the NW follow-up committee Hon. Awudu Mbaya assisted by Madame Regina Mundi as Vice President.
    The participants regretted that because projects are awarded only to the lowest bidder most projects are not well executed especially given the high rate of corruption of stakeholders in the public contracts chain. Added to this, large chunks of the investment credits are sent back to the central government under the guise of what is technically called budgetary economy.
    It filtered from the meeting that after awarding most of the 525 projects in the North West region, a whopping FCFA 550m was earned from bidders who down-priced their bids in order to boost their chances of winning the contracts.
It was against this backdrop that the participants resolved to table before the National Follow-up committee which is supposed to meet in no distant future recommendations that will help redress the situation.
    Most of the projects especially those awarded at the regional level as at July were already handed out. However some of the projects are yet to start because of diverse problems. One of such projects is the FCFA 38 million project to construct the regional delegation of the Ministry of Employment and Vocational Training.

    Justifying why the project had not started, officials of the Ministry and that of Public Works explained that they were chased out of the site given to them of which they had a land title from the Government Delegate to the Bamenda City Council showing that the land belonged to Parcour Vita.
    As at July, the level of execution of the 525 projects in the North West stood at 51.25% for physical execution and 16.30 % for financial execution.
    Speaking earlier, the President of the NW follow-up committee Hon. Awudu Mbaya said the development of communities and the country at large could only become a reality if projects are properly followed up.
    He expressed the wish that by November 2015 the NW ought to hit its 100% target in both the physical and financial execution of all projects.
    Awudu Mbaya also used the opportunity to reiterate that meaningful development cannot be discussed without mentioning climate change. It is within this backdrop that he called on all to educate the public to protect water catchments and wetlands.