Youth tracking descentralization

Changemaker: Gabi Wambo

In Cameroon, youths usually are not given the opportunity to be part of decision making processes. This situation is caused by the fact that many youths sometime don’t know that it’s their right and duty to be part of the public affairs, but worst again, even some youth leaders who may have the will to participate in the decision making process at the local council level, face difficulties to get “access to councils’ information” and usually lack sufficient skill to read, understand some technical documents like the “annual budget of the council”, as to be able to monitor their implementation. The consequence of this state of facts is that corruption and public funds embezzlement are easily perpetrated by the local administration, impeding the implementation of local projects benefiting to youths and the council development process in general. To overcome this situation, GABI WAMBO Laurent, is bringing together some friends budget specialists, to train youth leaders and build their skills in “Budget literacy”, “Budget monitoring” and will put in place a web platform that will facilitate access to local council budget and projects information. This initiative is to benefit to about 60 young leaders, representatives of the “National Youth Council” attached to some ten local councils of the Moungo division in Cameroon.

He is organising a workshop during which these youth leaders will discuss techniques of public participation, will be trained on local councils’ budget mastering and monitoring, and how to use internet to track the use of budget in their respective councils, get access to budget information and exchange experience.

By bringing these youths leaders together to be trained and creating opportunity for them to discuss councils’ issues with their Mayors and other councils’ executive members will help curbing down corruption and funds embezzlement in these councils and thereby foster development process in this geographic department of the country.