Cameroon’s 6th Follow-up Committee Meeting of the Major National Dialogue ended in Yaoundé on March 18, 2025, at the Star Building, with stakeholders resolving to bolster peace and development in the country. A key takeaway from the meeting is the commitment to review the implementation of recommendations that may have a negative impact on national integration and social cohesion.
According to the resolutions, the committee will “review the implementation of recommendations of the MND which can harm national integration and social cohesion in the long run.” This move aims to ensure that the implementation of the Major National Dialogue’s recommendations promotes national unity and social cohesion. The committee also emphasized the importance of promoting bilingualism in all spheres, allowing both French and English speakers to receive services in their preferred language.
At the end of the meeting, Prime Minister and Head of Government Chief Dr Joseph Dion Ngute appealed to stakeholders across the nation to uphold the spirit of dialogue borne at the historic Major National Dialogue, which took place in Yaounde from September 30 to October 4, 2019.
Dion Ngute said, there is every reason for all to continue working and engaging with different parties towards strengthening the peace process across the Northwest and Southwest Regions and addressing national challenges discussed at the dialogue.
The Prime Minister said in line with the window which the Head of State opened through the holding of the Major National Dialogue, more actions will continue to be taken for total peace, development and the safety of persons to be the order of the day in the Northwest and Southwest Regions.
After the meeting, he told reporters that so far, what has been achieved tells of effective state presence in all the subdivisions that make up the Northwest and Southwest Regions. Dion Ngute then went ahead to appeal to the consciousness of those still in the bushes to opt for the path of peace.
Fresh Recommendations
At the end of discussions, participants called on stakeholders especially religious and traditional rulers to continue dialoguing and sustaining engagements with all members of the society to ease the implementation of the recommendations of the Major National Dialogue
They resolved to intensify work across the globe to disrupt networks of separatists and their sponsors across the globe and to ensure more judicial actions are taken to bring them to book. The Committee also agreed on the need to extend appreciation to friendly countries supporting government efforts.
It was also agreed that more actions be taken to raise awareness of the people-centred approach of the reconstruction plan and to make use of digital tools to ensure such actions gain maximum positive impact.
Another proposal was to strengthen the implementation of the Regional Development Plans in the Northwest and Southwest Regions so as to give more meaning to the Special Status and ensure more resources are pumped in to boost local development.
Those who took part in the meeting agreed to address constraints to voter apathy in the Northwest and Southwest Regions so as to ensure the people actually take part in the election of leaders in the country.
PM, Chief Dr Joseph Dion Ngute talking to committee members
The need to review the implementation of recommendations of the Historic Major National Dialogue, MND, was also agreed upon to curb issues that could work against national unity with a focus on boosting the practice of bilingualism, national integration and social cohesion.
Countering negative narratives and ensuring the nation’s diplomatic representation present a good image and update international opinion on the nation’s peace efforts. Those who took part in discussions also recommended the intensive use of social media to promote actions being implemented in line with the MND. They also called for the strengthening of decentralisation and called on development agencies to embark on projects that will create jobs for young people in crisis-hit regions.
Strides On The Field
On some of the major fruits of the implementation of the recommendations of the Major National Dialogue, the Prime Minister mentioned the Ring Road project which has made great progress in parts of Donga Mantung Division. He added to the list of giant projects the Bamenda-Babadjour road, the Kumba-Ekonodo Titi road and rehabilitation work about to commence on the Bekoko-Limbe-Idenau stretch.
Before coming out to face the press, the Prime Minister had at the start of the session delved into other visible fruits stemming from work done in line with the recommendations of the Major National Dialogue.
The Head of Government listed the coming into being of a new decentralisation framework on which he said the government has continued to work, without reserve. Thanks to this, he said the nation now boasts of Regional Councils while the English-speaking Regions have Regional Assemblies with Houses of Chiefs and other special features that tie to the Special Status that was attributed to the administrative units at the dialogue.
Government, he said, has stepped up the transfer of resources to councils while at the same time it has put in place a new law on local taxation to boost local development. In the Northwest and Southwest Regions, Dion Ngute said aspects of what was proposed to make life more meaningful and bring the population into their development process are taking shape. Thanks to such work, the two Regions, he stated, have established valid development plans that will guide advancements in all sectors of life.
The Prime Minister went ahead to state that in line with partnerships such as those with the United Nations Development Program, UNDP, the reorganised the Presidential Plan for the Reconstruction and Development of the Northwest and Southwest Regions, PPRD-NW/SW to give the local population more involvement in the process.