By Hope Nda
The Southwest Public Independent Conciliator, PIC, Dorothy Telelen Atabong, has recommended that the government should encourage local councils in the region to create autonomous structures to manage waste, rather than solely relying on the national waste disposal company, HYSACAM.
The proposal comes in the wake of waste management deficiencies plaguing major cities in the Southwest and Cameroon at large, including in the economic and political capitals, Douala and Yaounde, respectively.
The PIC’s proposal is part of her annual report submitted to the Presidency of the Republic and released to the media in Buea on April 1.
The recommendation, if adopted, would end the monopoly of HYSACAM in the management of waste in major cities in the Southwest, including Buea, Limbe and Kumba.
The company has often been blamed for the persistent garbage problems in the Southwest Region and in other parts of the country.
In her report, the Southwest Independent Conciliator acknowledges that “councils continue to exhibit glaring difficulties in the proper management of garbage,” citing allegations of unpaid bills the government owes HYSACAM.
As a solution, she proposed that the government should encourage councils “to set up their own autonomous garbage disposal arrangements under the council’s hygiene and sanitation department.”
Noting that such a measure would require additional funding, she suggested that Councils could institute a “symbolic garbage disposal tax” of about FCFA 1,000 annually per household to fund their sanitation departments.
Mayors like Paul Efome Ngalle of the Limbe City Council appeared to share the PIC’s concern and faulted HYSACAM for many of the waste management challenges in his municipality.
He argued that once councils contract HYSACAM, they cannot be held accountable when garbage is not collected. But generally, people blame the Council for poor garbage collection.
Limbe City Mayor, Paul Efome Ngalle, leading a cleanup exercise in Limbe in 2024
The Limbe City Council is among those faulted in the PIC report for poor waste management. City dwellers who spoke in a survey the PIC’s office conducted regretted that the city, once considered among the cleanest in Cameroon, now battles with piles of garbage in public places.
Poorly managed garbage, city dwellers complained, not only constituted a health hazard, but gave a very bad image of the city which is considered as a touristic destination for many visitors.
Aside from the garbage problem in municipalities, the PIC’s report further highlighted project abandonment as one of the most pressing issues affecting municipalities in the Southwest region.
It raises alarm over a growing trend where contractors assigned to projects in remote or enclave areas are abandoning vital projects that directly touch the local population.
The attributed this to absenteeism by many Mayors, especially those whose Municipalities are considered remote.
“Some of the projects are abandoned. There is no follow-up. The Hygiene and Sanitation situation in the Councils is what we know about: dirt is littered all over. The municipal authorities, because they are not resident in their municipalities, it’s difficult for them to follow up these projects,” Dorothy Telelen Atabong bemoaned during a press conference.
She noted that many mayors in the Southwest continue to reside outside their municipalities, mainly in Douala and Yaounde, despite a notable improvement in security in the region. This absenteeism, she said, has contributed to poor project execution and outright abandonment in some municipalities.
“At the level of the Municipalities, a lot is not done. I’m not saying that the Mayors are not trying, but a lot of projects are not completed. And that is the main issue. Projects that are supposed to impact the livelihood of the population… they are not there… This goes back to the contractors but they must be followed up,” the PIC said.
Despite faulting Mayors for not adequately supervising projects, the PIC also pointed to access challenges as a contributing factor to these project failures.
In Ndian Division, for example, about 75 percent of the territory is accessible only by sea. In Lebialem Division, municipalities such as Wabane are faced with rugged topography and poor road infrastructure that hamper development efforts. Meanwhile areas like Akwaya in Manyu Division can only be accessed through the Federal Republic of Nigeria or by air. The land route is deplorable.
The PIC specifically cited Menji in Lebialem and Dikome Balue in Ndian Division as municipalities particularly affected by poor project execution. Projects are awarded, she said, but there is no one on the ground to supervise them.
Projects like potable water, street lighting, and roads, which directly affect the local population, are either incomplete or have not started at all. She recommended that the Regional Assembly, whose President Zacheus Bakoma Elango, was present at the launching of the report, should ensure proper follow-up and monitoring of projects it has allocated.
Disciplinary Power Against Defiant Mayors
The Independent Conciliator also raised concerns over some Mayors who continue to disregard her office, believing it lacks the authority to hold them accountable.
She singled out the Mayor of Tiko, Chief Messosso Peter Ikome, for ignoring her office and reportedly declaring that, as an elected official, the PIC could not sanction him.
She warned that such attitudes could significantly hinder her office’s ability to function effectively.
“Consequently, it would be pertinent to envisage making new provisions either within the framework of the General Code of Regional and Local Authorities or the instruments governing the discharge of duties of Public Independent Conciliator for corrective or appropriate administrative or political actions against the concerned municipal authorities, where it is established that refusal to collaborate is a deliberate act of defiance or disrespect of the institution,” the PIC’s report stated.
Currently, the Office of the Public Independent Conciliator is only empowered to investigate public complaints, mitigate disputes between service users and municipalities, and make recommendations to the Presidency.
However, the PIC said that the lack of consequences for recalcitrant Mayors is undermining the strength of the institution.
Good Practices Encouraged
Despite the many criticisms, the PIC’s report also highlighted and praised municipalities that have shown commitment and improvement.
Among them was Limbe I Council, whose Mayor, Florence Eposi Mbwaye, was commended for completing all projects allocated to the council in 2024. She was one of only two Mayors present in Buea for the launch of the PIC report.
The Mayor of Wabane, Nembo Israel, also received praise for his dedication. He is the only one among Lebialem’s three Mayors who has remained resident in his municipality despite the ongoing Anglophone Crisis. His presence on the ground, the PIC noted, has made a noticeable difference in project follow-up and community engagement in the Municipality.
Limbe City Mayor, Paul Efome Ngalle, was also lauded for his efforts in promoting peaceful coexistence and social cohesion through community sports events.
Insights From PIC’s Survey
The issues raised in the report were drawn from a citizen survey involving 1,905 questionnaires. Respondents, who included users of various council services, assessed the performance of regional and municipal councils during 2024.
Survey participants gave council administrations positive scores for issuing civil status documents, managing commercial spaces in markets, organising motor parks, and delivering or following up on building permits.
However, the performance of councils in hygiene and sanitation was rated below expectations. Major issues included waste disposal failures, the absence of public toilets, and the lack of stand taps or water points in most municipal markets.
Garbage Situation in Limbe, Buea
While the Limbe City Council was commended for promoting social cohesion, it received harsh criticism over hygiene and sanitation. The PIC’s report noted a sharp fall in public sanitation conditions in Limbe, once celebrated as the cleanest city in Cameroon.
In Buea, under the leadership of Mayor David Mafani Namange, residents appreciated the council’s efforts to improve access to civil status documents through the “My Name” campaign. The construction of the Moki Garage bridge was also acknowledged, though many were disappointed by the prolonged timeline for its completion.
Yet, in terms of hygiene and sanitation, the town continues to suffer from growing garbage heaps. Market vendors in Buea also criticized the lack of toilet facilities in major markets that host thousands of buyers and sellers on market days.
They described the situation as a clear sign of indifference by the council administration, which “diligently collects markets tolls but disregards the welfare of those spending long hours doing business in these markets.”