The Head of State mounted the rostrum at the 65th General Assembly of the United Nations to share his views on ways of achieving Millennium Development Goals.
If all works out well, poverty may soon be reduced by half in Africa, fewer women will die while giving birth, literacy will be stepped up, access to potable water will witness an upsurge, more children will have access to basic education, gender equality will be amplified, global partnerships will improve, etc.
These and others constitute the crux of Millennium Development Goals which in turn represent the bone of contention of over 140 Heads of State presently meeting in New York at the head quarter of the United Nations. It is within this framework that President Paul Biya of Cameroon has been telling Cameroonian stories to the rest of the world in relation to efforts made by his country to tackle the challenges of our time. The high points of Mr Biya’s 10 minute presentation were pinned on progress and better living conditions envisaged and pursued for the Cameroonian people. According to him, there are certain aspects that cannot in any way be left out as far as achieving the Millennium Development Goals. Energy, employment and education fall in this category. Talking about the energy sector, he said “we are presently developing this sector in a bid to double and triple our annual production by the years 2015 and 2020 respectively”. As a matter of fact, this aptly ties with the ongoing construction of hydroelectric damps in the country. As well, the President of the Republic stood tall to talk about his vision of employment in Cameroon. He said “youth and access to jobs represent an important indicator of political stability, human dignity and that both can draft the future of our country”. The President also unveiled Cameroon’s vision which looks forward to making the country an emerging economy by the year 2035. In other words, Cameroon will have a two digit growth rate and all other characteristics of an emerging country.
While talking to the world’s leaders yesterday, the United Nations Secretary General, Ban Ki Moon warned that “least developed countries are at the epicentre of development emergency”. He further told the general assembly that “new funding is needed to fight HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and malaria”. He summed up the UN’s concern for Africa and the rest of the world by noting that « safe drinking water and basic sanitation are intrinsic to human survival, well-being and dignity ».
The ongoing UN summit on Millennium Development Goals comes 10 years after their conception by the erstwhile scribe Koffi Annan and five years to the deadline slated for 2015.
As such, during this summit, world leaders would be attempting to re-examine progress, recognize gaps and commit themselves to a concrete agenda in a bid to achieve the MDGs. The President of the Republic will again address the UN General Assembly tomorrow Thursday on the theme UN and global governance. Political observers foresee that during his presentation, Mr Biya would revisit issues he already highlighted during the Africa 21 conference that took place in Yaoundé last May 2010.
MANYANYE IKOME