At Budget Orientation debate: Bafut Council launches clean city contest, presents priority projects for 2025
Village committee chairpersons in Bafut have presented their priority projects for 2025.
The presentations from the village committees ranged from water extension, opening of farm to market roads, construction of bridges, extension of electricity, hospitals, schools amongst others, took place on Wednesday 4th December 2024.
Projects which the Mayor greatly saluted but emphasized that the priority projects can only be realised within the means of the council.
Means which the Mayor noted has greatly dwindled because of the Anglophone crisis.
“Bafut has more than Nine markets but they’re not functional. Rents and market tolls are not paid. The situation is even critical because the council cannot collect the taxes on the sand that is dug in lower Bafut. This has greatly hampered the performance of the council.
“In this meeting, I called on the village and neighbourhood committees to work in tandem with the council to ensure that we can generate our own revenue and carryout our own projects without depending on the state.” Mayor Ngwakongoh Lawrence said.
The Mayor of Bafut also presented to the village committees the projects that were executed in the course of 2024.
While identifying the projects in their various communities, some of the representatives complained about lack of projects while others decried the poor execution of some projects.
In response, the Mayor said projects are allocated to communities where it can easily be executed. He however remarked that with the coming of the village and neighbourhood committees, project execution across Bafut will be possible.
A proposal for the rotation of projects across all villages in Bafut for a period of three years, following the program budget was adopted.
In presenting some of the projects already approved from some Ministries, Mayor Ngwakongoh Lawrence listed the projects to comprise of a bridge over River Mezam linking Tingoh, Nchoho and Okwala villages in lower Bafut and another bridge over River Mbee.
“These Rivers have swallowed enough sons and daughters of Bafut and it is of utmost priority to the population.” Mayor Ngwakongoh remarked.
The 2024 Budget Orientation Debate of the Bafut Council also saw the launching of the 2025 Clean City contest by Forkou Andelys, Divisional Officer of Bafut.
“The clean city contest is a laudable initiative and falls squarely in line with the program of UN Habitat” Forkou Andelys said.
The villages will be judged on their cleanliness around public places including schools, markets, playgrounds, road junctions, stand taps, hospital and health centers, community halls, roads, streams and rivers.
The village and neighbourhood committee chairpersons left the event with renewed perspectives on making the council area a beautiful place to live-in.
Bamenda, Capital of the North West Region will host the 2025 edition of World Habitat Day.
