 to provide financial support for improving access to health services and water supply.){kind=link}
Prime Minister of Cameroon with Japanese Ambassador to Cameroon in the middle and other officials after the signing ceremony in the star building in Yaounde.
The government of Japan has signed a financial agreement with the government of Cameroon and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to provide financial support for improving access to health services and water supply.
The signing ceremony took place at the Star Building on Thursday, February 18, 2021, in the presence of the Prime Minister, Head of Government, H.E. Chief Dr. Dion Ngute, alongside representatives of the agreement’s partners and members of Cameroon’s government.
Signing on behalf of the Japanese government was the Japanese Ambassador to Cameroon, H.E. Osawa Tsutomu. Alamine Ousmane Mey, Minister of Economy, Planning, and Regional Development, signed for Cameroon, while Jean Luc Stalon, Resident Representative of UNDP, signed for the UNDP.
This grant, worth $2,750,000 USD, is part of Japan’s support for the “Recovery in the South West Region through Rehabilitation of Health Centers and Water Points” project. The initiative, expected to improve the livelihoods of citizens in Fako Division, will be implemented by the UNDP.
Speaking during the signing ceremony, Japan’s top diplomat in Cameroon, H.E. Osawa Tsutomu, emphasized Japan’s commitment to improving the living conditions of local people in Cameroon.
“The government of Japan decided to finance this project, implemented by UNDP, to rehabilitate water points and health centers in the South West Region. We will continue contributing to the reconstruction and development of the South West Region and the improvement of the living conditions of its local people,” said H.E. Osawa Tsutomu.
Jean Luc Stalon, speaking on behalf of UNDP, expressed gratitude to the Japanese government for supporting efforts to alleviate the suffering of populations affected by the ongoing conflict in Cameroon’s English-speaking regions.
“We have made a lot of progress since the signing of this plan. We are working step by step. It’s not an easy situation, but our priority is to support the populations of the North West and South West affected by the crises. I think it’s important, while other things are happening, that we don’t forget to provide social and economic services to the affected populations,” said Jean Luc Stalon in a media interview after the ceremony.
Minister Alamine Ousmane Mey, representing the Cameroonian government, expressed gratitude to Japan for leading the recovery plan initiated during the Grand National Dialogue.
“Allow me first of all to recall the Grand National Dialogue that took place in 2019. One of the flagship recommendations of this dialogue was the implementation of the Presidential Reconstruction and Development Plan for the two regions affected by the sociopolitical crises in the North West and South West. The government has elaborated a draft plan with a budget of 89 billion CFA francs, and Cameroon has pledged a contribution of 10%, having already disbursed 8.9 billion CFA francs,” Minister Ousmane Mey recounted.
He added that the Prime Minister’s presence at the ceremony reflects the government’s strong commitment to bringing stability and development to the affected regions. The minister also called on other partners to follow Japan’s example.
The ceremony concluded with a group photo, as Cameroon celebrated this significant support from Japan.