PIB Mezam: Snarl-up at Douala Port Blamed For Low Realization Rate

Benjamin Ngah in Bamenda

Problems rocking the Douala Seaport ranging from bottleneck to inertia which has resulted into the blockage of the port is causing untold hardship not only to the individual business men, but to the community at large.

This is exactly the case with Public Investment Projects (PIB) in Mezam whose low realization rate has been blamed amongst other things on the inability of some constructors to clear their goods for supplies. The revelation was made in Mulang- Bamenda during the Third Quarterly Follow Up Committee Meeting which took place at the conference Hall of the Divisional Delegation on Friday 10^th October, 2014.

Frowning at the low realization rate and calling on stakeholders especially contractors and some vote holders who seem to be snarling the pace of realization of some of the projects in the division for no good reason, the chairperson of the follow up committee represented by Rev. Talikong Amos Nfor appealed to consciences for the effective take off of the projects. Though citing the problems at the Douala Port and the heavy rains as some of the hindrances hindering the execution of some of the projects, he said contractors needed to have understood that rain is a natural phenomenon and hasten up in the realization of the projects.

With barely two months to go to the end of the year, the Divisional Delegate for Economy, Planning and Regional Development warned contractors who would fail to realize projects awarded them of the impending sanctions. According to him, “there are long term and short term strategies put in place to make sure that the projects are realized before the end of the years. In the short term by next week we would be hammering at those who are dealing with projects below FCFA5000000 and would take the recalcitrant ones to hierarchy for sanctions. For projects like road rehabilitation and other constructions, we are waiting for the rains to subside so that we also put pressure on the contractors to do their job.”

Despite the low execution rate of the Public Investment Projects in Mezam, a video projection indicated some of the projects were being well carried out and already received in some areas. Some of these projects included the construction of two classrooms in GBHS Bayelle, the Special Branch in Baligham, Home Economic Centre in Bamendakwe and the rehabilitation work at the Divisional Delegation of Public Works etc.