Georges Elanga Obam, Minister of Decentralisation and Local Development has tasked local development stakeholders to remove hurdles that impede the development of free trade.
The Minister enjoined local authorities in Bertoua during the commemoration of the 12th African Day of Decentralization and Local Development and the 6th African Day of Civil Status Registration on 10 August 2023.He asked them to create conducive conditions to promote the African Continental Free Trade Area, AfCFTA, propose mechanisms for their involvement in its materialisation and to enhance dialogue with local producers of wealth, all in the bid to boost trade in Africa. The dual event had as themes, “the contribution of Africa’s sub-national and local governments to the development of the African Continental Free Trade Area” and “the opportunity to increase national coverage and improve the quality and timelines of data by digitizing civil registration systems”.
According to Minister Elanga Obam, civil state registration plays an important role in the development of countries reason why since 2007 there has been an in-depth reform of the system under the leadership of President Paul Biya. Thanks to the ongoing digitization of civil status records in councils of the Mfoundi Division of the Centre region and which will continue to other regions, government is confident that access to civil status documents will be facilitated. Minister Elanga Obam seized the opportunity to hand over birth certificates to some two hundred people, while stressing the need to raise awareness among the population on the importance of civil registration.
At a time when efforts are being made to create a single African market for goods and services, it is all but normal for people to have the necessary documents that will facilitate their movement and foster the agenda of economic integration and development across the continent.
Despite the fact that decentralization laws of most African countries entrust the subnational and local governments with the responsibility to plan and implement the economic and spatial development of their territory, many key conditions and frameworks are lacking for them to efficiently participate in the making of the AfCFTA. Removing the hurdles that impedes the development of free trade and that can be addressed at the subnational and local governments is therefore a precondition to the strengthening of the AfCFTA.
Claudette Chin
