INSIDE THE PRESIDENCY DU 24-07-2023
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00:01:09 - Good day.
00:01:10 President Paul Bia and First Lady,
00:01:13 Madam Chantal Bia are back in town.
00:01:16 Soon we bring to you images of their arrival
00:01:19 as well as their recent activity in Europe.
00:01:22 But this program focuses on the 18th session
00:01:26 of the Conference of Commonwealth Speakers
00:01:28 and Presiding Officers that took place in Yaoundé
00:01:31 under the auspices of President Paul Bia.
00:01:34 My guest will be the Vice President
00:01:36 of Cameroon's National Assembly,
00:01:38 Honorable Mary Mulyali-Mibuka,
00:01:40 who also doubles as a Chairperson
00:01:42 of the Organizing Committee.
00:01:44 Ladies and gentlemen,
00:01:46 this is inside the presidency,
00:01:49 in the saddle to saddle up this program.
00:01:51 Is your humble servant, Ashu Nyenti Nyaoundé,
00:01:55 you couldn't have had a better pair of hands.
00:01:57 So just relax, stay put,
00:01:59 grab a glass of water as we ride on.
00:02:02 As I announced at the beginning,
00:02:05 Paul and Chantal Bia are with us.
00:02:07 So what happened at the Nsimbaland International Airport?
00:02:11 Just watch.
00:02:12 (dramatic music)
00:02:15 The familiar faces at the Nsimbaland International Airport
00:02:25 this Monday, 24th of July, 2023,
00:02:28 look serene and jovial.
00:02:30 To welcome President Paul Bia and his wife
00:02:32 back from a significant foreign trip
00:02:34 is the Prime Minister, Head of Government,
00:02:36 Chief Dr. Joseph Ndiangute,
00:02:38 and the Minister of State, Secretary General
00:02:40 of the Presidency of the Republic, Ferdinand Ndongo.
00:02:44 The presidential aircraft is gratified
00:02:46 with a soft and professional landing
00:02:48 over a fresh and cozy Yaoundé sky
00:02:51 at 6 p.m. local time.
00:02:53 Relaxed and confident, Paul Bia makes the move,
00:02:56 tells his collaborators to shake their hands
00:02:59 and to receive news updates from his collaborators
00:03:02 on the state of the nation,
00:03:04 and to share with them the formidable moments of his trip
00:03:07 alongside First Lady Chantal Bia.
00:03:10 In downtown Yaoundé,
00:03:11 the strategic long-term Bastos neighborhood,
00:03:14 a sizable group of enthusiasts did not miss the opportunity
00:03:17 to welcome the first couple back home.
00:03:20 (upbeat music)
00:03:23 This return of the first couple of Cameroon
00:03:27 follows a well-spent time in Europe
00:03:30 during which President Paul Bia and his peers
00:03:33 from across the globe
00:03:34 converged on the French capital, Paris, last June
00:03:37 to chart a new course for poorer countries
00:03:40 in crafting the new global financing pact.
00:03:42 Paul Bia played a significant role
00:03:44 in not only midwiving, but also breaking the glass ceiling
00:03:48 for a new awareness among poorer countries,
00:03:50 especially in Africa, that they have a stake
00:03:53 and a voice in international financial transactions,
00:03:57 and as such, deserve greater consideration.
00:04:00 A role that was appreciated for its worth,
00:04:02 by the Cameroonian community in France
00:04:04 that spared no effort to demonstrate this openly
00:04:07 and unmistakably throughout the stay of Paul
00:04:10 and Chantal Bia in Europe.
00:04:12 The First Lady, Madame Chantal Bia, also had her moment.
00:04:16 Invited by the French First Lady, Brigitte Macron,
00:04:19 she joined other spouses of heads of state
00:04:22 to visit some strategic tourist sites
00:04:24 within the Paris metropolis.
00:04:27 (singing in foreign language)
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00:04:34 It is all these ingredients that made the stay
00:04:44 of Paul and Chantal Bia in Europe remarkable.
00:04:47 (dramatic music)
00:04:58 - Honorable Marie Mouyali Mbuka,
00:05:01 it's my pleasure to receive you on this worldwide platform.
00:05:05 - Thank you very much.
00:05:06 - As you know, I'm receiving you in your capacity
00:05:08 as the chairperson of the organizing committee
00:05:12 of the just ended 18th session
00:05:14 of the Conference of Commonwealth Speakers
00:05:17 and Presiding Officers that just ended in Yaoundé.
00:05:20 You have gone through all of this
00:05:22 in spite of your personal tragedies.
00:05:25 You must say you are a stateswoman on that accord.
00:05:28 - Yeah, we give glory to God for the strength
00:05:32 and for the grace.
00:05:33 - I will always be there for you.
00:05:35 Of course, President Paul Bia was personally represented
00:05:40 and of course he sent a no less top personality
00:05:45 than the Prime Minister of the Republic,
00:05:47 Chief Dr. Joseph Diangute.
00:05:50 For you members of the Commonwealth Association,
00:05:53 that was a big deal?
00:05:54 - Yes, it was because the speakers
00:05:56 were very happy to see the Prime Minister
00:05:59 who was personally representing the head of state
00:06:02 and they knew that Cameroon took this event very seriously
00:06:07 and gave them our utmost best that we could give them
00:06:10 as speakers and presiding officers of Africa region
00:06:14 of the Commonwealth countries.
00:06:16 - You give that your best shot?
00:06:18 - Well, to us, we did our best
00:06:21 and given the feedback that we got from our guests,
00:06:26 we think that they were happy.
00:06:28 - What was the goal of that conference?
00:06:30 - The goal of the conference was to discuss
00:06:34 pertinent issues that affect Africa at this point in time.
00:06:39 And when speakers come together,
00:06:42 you know they are heads of institutions.
00:06:44 They need to come together to exchange experience,
00:06:47 to see how to make the parliamentary structures
00:06:51 to work stronger and stronger
00:06:53 because we are the people's representative
00:06:55 and we are like the people of our nations.
00:07:00 - And you think that at the end of the day,
00:07:03 your objective was attained?
00:07:05 - Yes, it was.
00:07:06 Yes, it was because the participants
00:07:11 did justice to the topics.
00:07:13 They came out with a host of resolutions
00:07:16 which they are going to follow through
00:07:18 and they had a nice environment for the discussions.
00:07:24 They went to outside to some excursion site
00:07:28 and what they saw, they were proud.
00:07:30 - We shall come back to some of those issues,
00:07:32 but I'd like to take you back
00:07:33 to what the President of the Republic,
00:07:36 the President Pogbia said, of course,
00:07:37 using the voice of Chief Dr. Joseph Djongute.
00:07:42 On that occasion, this is what he said,
00:07:44 and I'm quoting him,
00:07:46 like other African countries,
00:07:49 Cameroon has implemented its first 10 years plan.
00:07:53 We are talking about the Agenda 2063.
00:07:56 Can you run us through what he was talking about there?
00:08:00 - Yes, the Agenda 2063 is about the development of Africa
00:08:05 that taking the Africa development being led by Africans.
00:08:13 And from the past, they had a worldwide development agenda
00:08:18 which Africa felt that as a stakeholder,
00:08:21 it wasn't fully represented.
00:08:24 So Africa, as a true United Nation,
00:08:28 decided to come up to task,
00:08:30 to put to task the organization in charge
00:08:33 of which is the African Commission,
00:08:35 to be able to come up with the Agenda 63
00:08:38 that will be able to target specifically the issues
00:08:40 that touch Africa and to be led by Africans.
00:08:43 - So the first decade, that's my question,
00:08:45 the first decade, from what I heard the Prime Minister say,
00:08:49 ran from 2014 to 2023.
00:08:52 Many people didn't know that it was a 10 yearly plan
00:08:56 until then.
00:08:57 Now, he enumerated a number of things,
00:08:59 that Cameroon has completed its own actions
00:09:02 for the first 10 years.
00:09:03 That is what I wanted you to run us through.
00:09:05 - Yes, the first part, which was through
00:09:07 the National Strategic Paper, which we had,
00:09:11 the first part, Cameroon was able to move
00:09:15 from 3% growth to 4.5% growth.
00:09:19 And the next phase, which is going to go
00:09:22 to the National Strategy, Development Strategy,
00:09:24 which is going to go up to 2030,
00:09:28 Cameroon--
00:09:30 - That's the National Development Strategy.
00:09:31 - Yes, Cameroon is looking at areas which are in line
00:09:36 with the Agenda 63, everything we are doing.
00:09:39 The industrialization part,
00:09:42 to strengthen our industrialization,
00:09:43 to make sure that we create wealth for the nation.
00:09:47 There is the part of access to social activities,
00:09:52 the aspect of improving the livelihoods
00:09:53 of the people of Cameroon.
00:09:55 And then there is the aspect of climate change,
00:09:57 to try to get good strategies to manage,
00:10:02 to mitigate and manage the mitigation strategy
00:10:06 and the adaptation strategies within the climate change.
00:10:10 So those are the issues and governance issues,
00:10:13 which are of very, very important,
00:10:14 great importance to our nations,
00:10:17 and to help us drive, see our dream come true
00:10:20 of being an emerging nation in 2035.
00:10:24 - Now, we're going to come back to what I call
00:10:27 the midst of the 2063 Agenda,
00:10:29 because that was a main fulcrum,
00:10:32 the crux of the matter in that meeting
00:10:34 which you had here in Yaoundé.
00:10:35 Time for us to have our first pause
00:10:38 to enable you to grab a glass of water to look at.
00:10:41 The sights and sounds of the participation
00:10:44 of the personal representative
00:10:45 of President Paul Biadat Conference,
00:10:48 Prime Minister Chief Dr. Joseph Diongute,
00:10:51 as recounted to us by staffman, Chris Che Atom.
00:10:56 (dramatic music)
00:11:09 By choosing Yaoundé as venue for the 18th Conference,
00:11:13 the speakers and presiding officers
00:11:15 of the Commonwealth Africa region
00:11:18 were honoring and recognizing Cameroon
00:11:20 for milestones made in establishing
00:11:23 a democratic parliamentary system.
00:11:25 The President of the Republic, Paul Biadat,
00:11:28 honored them in equal measure
00:11:30 by delegating the Prime Minister of Government,
00:11:32 Joseph Diongute, as his personal representative
00:11:36 during the official opening.
00:11:38 The Prime Minister saluted the solidarity and cooperation
00:11:42 which exist within the Commonwealth.
00:11:44 - Your presence here today reflects
00:11:47 the cordial ties and perfect cooperation
00:11:50 that exist between our countries
00:11:53 that share fundamental cultural values.
00:11:57 This session is one of the Commonwealth's
00:12:02 major activities on African soil.
00:12:05 In the wake of major changes at the UK summit,
00:12:09 we cannot fail to welcome the accession
00:12:13 of His Royal Majesty Charles III,
00:12:15 the new King of England and the United Kingdom,
00:12:18 who is now the patron of the Commonwealth of Nations
00:12:22 and to whom we extend our warm and sincere congratulations.
00:12:27 - The Premier also underscored the pertinence
00:12:30 of the theme of the Yaoundé Conference,
00:12:32 namely African Parliaments and Agenda 2063.
00:12:37 He said the Government of Cameroon,
00:12:39 under the guidance of President Paul Biadat,
00:12:41 has been working to meet the objectives
00:12:44 of the AU's Agenda 2063.
00:12:47 - In order to facilitate its implementation
00:12:49 by member states and regional economic communities,
00:12:52 Agenda 2063 is being implemented according to 10-year plans.
00:12:57 Like all the African countries,
00:13:01 Cameroon has implemented its first 10-year plan
00:13:05 while considering its specific characteristics
00:13:09 and based on an internal approach.
00:13:12 The main thrust of the plan are therefore
00:13:14 closely in line with the Sustainable Development Goals.
00:13:17 It is worth emphasizing that Cameroon's
00:13:20 Development Vision 2035 fully integrates
00:13:24 the priority areas of Agenda 2063,
00:13:28 which it should be remembered,
00:13:30 are based on inclusive growth, sustainable development,
00:13:35 good governance, and a strong cultural identity.
00:13:39 The first phase of our country's Development Vision
00:13:42 was implemented through the
00:13:43 Growth and Employment Strategy Paper,
00:13:46 the aim of which was to increase
00:13:48 the country's economic growth,
00:13:50 reduce underemployment, and the poverty rate
00:13:54 by almost a third.
00:13:57 A number of important political and socioeconomic
00:14:00 achievements have been recorded
00:14:02 in the implementation of this program,
00:14:05 with a significant increase in the growth path
00:14:08 from 3% to 4.5% over the period of its implementation.
00:14:13 The Premier said the second program,
00:14:17 which has been under implementation since 2020
00:14:20 through the National Development Strategy,
00:14:22 has been yielding results in the country.
00:14:25 It is clear to everyone that the political program
00:14:28 of the President of the Republic of Cameroon
00:14:31 aims to achieve these internal strategic objectives,
00:14:34 which are also in line with
00:14:36 our country's international commitments.
00:14:39 Allow me to give you a few examples.
00:14:41 With regard to creating the right conditions
00:14:45 for economic growth and the accumulation of national wealth,
00:14:50 improving the business climate has taken
00:14:52 pride of place in recent years,
00:14:54 with a view to increasing private investment
00:14:57 and building a strong private sector
00:14:59 that drives development and plays an active role
00:15:02 in implementing the import substitution policy.
00:15:06 As a result, the iron and steel industry,
00:15:09 among others, has seen a real boom,
00:15:13 which is reflected in the serenity
00:15:15 with which the local markets is supplied,
00:15:18 along with the export of certain products to the subregion.
00:15:21 In terms of access to basic social services,
00:15:25 initiatives have been stepped up in sectors such as health,
00:15:29 education, and access to energy and drinking water.
00:15:32 It is worth noting that modern hospitals
00:15:36 have been built and equipped in the various regions
00:15:39 to assure adequate territorial coverage
00:15:41 and optimum healthcare for the population.
00:15:44 In all, the Prime Minister Head of Government,
00:15:47 Joseph Dzungute, was a man on a mission.
00:15:51 A mission not only to explain the strides
00:15:54 made towards attaining Agenda 2063 in Cameroon,
00:15:58 but also a mission to personally deliver
00:16:01 the warmth of Cameroon to the Commonwealth speakers
00:16:04 and presiding officers.
00:16:06 (dramatic music)
00:16:11 - We come back to the studio.
00:16:20 Now, you attended that conference
00:16:24 in the company of colleagues from other countries,
00:16:27 Kenya, South Africa, Nigeria,
00:16:31 countries that have, I would say,
00:16:33 relatively vibrant parliamentary democratic systems.
00:16:37 Will you be able to learn a trick or two
00:16:42 to make your own parliament livelier?
00:16:45 - Ah, it is interesting, Mr. Nyenti,
00:16:48 that parliaments are similar.
00:16:51 They are really similar in their actions.
00:16:54 And some people go the way to talk a lot
00:16:59 and to talk out a lot.
00:17:01 Some people do more of advocacy
00:17:02 and more of background politics
00:17:05 that influence a lot of changes.
00:17:07 - If you look at the etymology of parliament,
00:17:09 parli, parli, parliment, it's to talk.
00:17:12 That it was originally meant to be talking.
00:17:14 - Yeah, whatever we do, we are talking.
00:17:17 Whatever we do, we are talking.
00:17:18 Whatever we do, we are representing the population,
00:17:21 we are checking government actions,
00:17:23 we are making sure that the agenda
00:17:25 that government has put out in place
00:17:27 works for the people and produces the result that we desire.
00:17:31 At some point, yes, you need to come out
00:17:33 and talk about things so that--
00:17:36 - Because you represent the people.
00:17:37 - Yeah, of course we do.
00:17:38 - Directly. - And come out
00:17:39 and talk about things in the open.
00:17:41 But then, sometimes it depends,
00:17:43 the way you talk, it depends on your objective.
00:17:46 So sometimes you come out and shout
00:17:49 so that people can hear and other people can hear
00:17:52 and influence the process.
00:17:53 Sometimes you make sure that you guide the person
00:17:56 doing the action so that the person is on course.
00:17:58 And you don't need to shout.
00:17:59 You need to make sure that the person
00:18:01 takes into consideration what you're saying.
00:18:03 And sometimes when you shout too much,
00:18:04 people become so defensive
00:18:06 and don't take into consideration what you're saying.
00:18:08 - And so when you met these here colleagues,
00:18:10 there was nothing you could learn from them?
00:18:12 - No, there was a lot we could learn.
00:18:13 We have exchanges in the manner
00:18:16 of carrying out our activities,
00:18:18 carrying out our legislative activities,
00:18:21 carrying out the control of government action,
00:18:22 carrying out a whole lot of issues as parliamentarians.
00:18:27 One of the things that was echoed strongly
00:18:31 within our discussion was that we should be able
00:18:33 to strengthen our parliamentary democracy
00:18:35 and our parliamentary advocacy, that's the word,
00:18:40 parliamentary advocacy.
00:18:42 Because if we strengthen our parliamentary advocacy,
00:18:45 we will be able to strengthen
00:18:47 the implementation agenda of our nations.
00:18:49 We'll be able to even reduce the waste
00:18:52 that countries go through.
00:18:53 We'll be able to do a lot
00:18:55 to enhance the development of our people.
00:18:58 So that came out very strongly,
00:19:00 which means that it cuts across nations.
00:19:01 Even for all of us, we identified ourselves in that issue
00:19:06 that we need more and more
00:19:08 to strengthen our parliamentary advocacy.
00:19:10 - We are in a system of separation of powers
00:19:15 as was propounded by Montesquieu.
00:19:20 But in many parliamentary systems,
00:19:23 I'm sure your colleagues to other countries told you that,
00:19:25 there is a rapprochement, what they call,
00:19:29 in quote unquote, too cold for comfort
00:19:31 between the executive arm of government
00:19:33 and the legislative arm of government.
00:19:35 Is that a worrying issue from your own perspective?
00:19:38 - Well, sometimes it could be,
00:19:40 but our role as parliamentarians,
00:19:45 people sometimes look at our control role differently.
00:19:49 Our role is to make sure that what the government is doing,
00:19:54 it solves the problem of the people.
00:19:55 It's not so much, well,
00:19:58 with the other issues that go behind that,
00:20:00 effective governance,
00:20:01 to make sure that the agenda are reached,
00:20:03 but we are looking at whatever the government in view,
00:20:07 what impact does it have on the population?
00:20:10 How does it enhance the living condition of the population?
00:20:13 And so, like I said before, in that strategy,
00:20:15 sometimes you have exchanges with the government,
00:20:18 which are not comfortable.
00:20:19 Sometimes you sit together and talk
00:20:21 and make sure that the government understands you
00:20:23 and look into the direction of the population.
00:20:25 - Do some of your constituents sometimes task you
00:20:30 for not representing them enough,
00:20:33 talking enough about their issues,
00:20:34 or not talk about you, Honorable Moyale,
00:20:36 in particular, generally?
00:20:38 - Yeah, generally, as people we represent,
00:20:40 if you have a root issue that I have in my community,
00:20:43 and day in, day out, year in, year out,
00:20:45 they see that the root issue maybe advances very slowly,
00:20:48 no matter how you come and tell them
00:20:50 that I've been talking about the root issue,
00:20:51 they will think that you're just telling them
00:20:54 your side of the story.
00:20:55 So there are things that we bring on board to the government
00:20:59 and since the government machinery sometimes grinds slowly,
00:21:02 the actions don't come as the population
00:21:05 would want them to come.
00:21:06 So the population thinks that you're not really
00:21:07 effectively saying what they want.
00:21:09 - Now, we're going to come back to this issue
00:21:11 of trust between the parliamentarian
00:21:12 and of course the population,
00:21:14 the constituents subsequently in the conversation.
00:21:17 But for now, we'll leave it at that.
00:21:18 I'd like us to tackle something else.
00:21:20 This is a parliamentary conference
00:21:22 that took place in Yaoundé,
00:21:24 where people come and meet, they talk, all kinds of things.
00:21:27 It has been happening before.
00:21:28 That is why it's the 18th session.
00:21:30 Cameroon joined what they call the Gentlemen's Club
00:21:34 in November 1995 in Auckland, New Zealand.
00:21:39 Now, going back memory lane, if you look back,
00:21:43 what would you say Cameroon has actually achieved
00:21:45 being a member of the Commonwealth of Nations?
00:21:49 - Cameroon has achieved a lot
00:21:51 and Cameroon has shared lessons as well.
00:21:54 We are one of the first countries to have
00:21:56 a minister in charge of Commonwealth
00:21:59 and other countries have followed suit.
00:22:01 About six countries have copied and followed suit
00:22:03 because before there was no minister
00:22:05 in charge of Commonwealth.
00:22:06 And having an institution in charge of Commonwealth
00:22:10 makes us to look to benefit
00:22:12 from the capacity-strengthening programs,
00:22:14 scholarship programs, training programs, exchange programs.
00:22:20 So, since like you rightly say,
00:22:22 this is able to strengthen the capacity
00:22:26 of our people, of parliamentarians, of our youths,
00:22:30 of various professionals to be able to do
00:22:33 the task of democracy and also learn
00:22:36 what they call good practices and share good practices
00:22:41 and be able to implement.
00:22:42 I think that even the advancement of our democracy
00:22:45 has benefited from the Commonwealth input.
00:22:48 - In what way?
00:22:50 - Our democracy has been made stronger and stronger.
00:22:54 We have moved from, you know that the democracy of Cameroon
00:22:59 has moved even from the election process,
00:23:02 we have moved up to--
00:23:03 - The organization of election.
00:23:04 - Of the organization of election,
00:23:05 we have moved up to the, what do you call it,
00:23:08 using the digitalized--
00:23:12 - First of all, from Oner one to Oner two.
00:23:15 - Yes.
00:23:16 - And then Elekam.
00:23:17 - Yeah.
00:23:17 - And then you're talking about the digitalization
00:23:19 of the process, the computerization of the process.
00:23:22 - So, I think that we have benefited a lot.
00:23:25 We have shared lessons from other countries
00:23:27 and we are growing as a democracy.
00:23:29 I think we are growing as a democracy.
00:23:30 - Now, what you have said so far,
00:23:31 the things that we have taken in and we have benefited,
00:23:34 that is quite correct.
00:23:35 Now, what are we giving to the others?
00:23:38 - I told you about the experience that we shared,
00:23:40 we have a ministry of--
00:23:42 - No, no, no, no, no, giving to others, I mean, oh, okay.
00:23:45 - Yeah, we have a ministry that we've shared
00:23:47 and then Cameroon has a way of doing things,
00:23:52 of handling these issues,
00:23:53 that when people come here or when we exchange,
00:23:55 because we also present papers
00:23:57 when we go out of the country.
00:23:59 We present papers on our natural resources,
00:24:01 on the way we manage natural resources.
00:24:03 We present papers on our agriculture.
00:24:05 We present on our own way.
00:24:08 For instance, you have even the enhancement of women
00:24:13 in democracy.
00:24:14 Cameroon is one of the countries
00:24:15 that has also met the goal of more than 30%.
00:24:17 And so, other countries learn from us, what have we done?
00:24:20 When we go to international fora, we share that
00:24:23 and other countries want to know how we have managed
00:24:25 to be able to get to that stage.
00:24:27 - Maybe having a woman as a vice president
00:24:29 of the national assembly, that is also another thing
00:24:31 that others can learn from there.
00:24:32 - Yes, they can.
00:24:33 And other countries to have women who are even speakers.
00:24:36 And we also learned the fact that they have women
00:24:39 who are speakers.
00:24:40 It's an exchange of experience.
00:24:41 - And you in Cameroon think that these women
00:24:43 have to go one round higher?
00:24:44 - Definitely, definitely.
00:24:45 That's the policy of the head of state.
00:24:48 He wants women to be strengthened,
00:24:50 the world wants women to be strengthened,
00:24:51 they want you to be strengthened,
00:24:53 because they know that when women are strengthened,
00:24:55 we youth are strengthened,
00:24:56 there will be a lot of wealth creation.
00:24:59 - And so, days, years ahead,
00:25:01 maybe we should be looking for a female speaker?
00:25:03 - Well, it's an election.
00:25:05 So if people elect a female, fine.
00:25:08 It's an election, so whatever.
00:25:10 - Or is it that maybe women have not been playing
00:25:12 their cards very well up to this point?
00:25:14 - No, women, well, they have been playing their cards.
00:25:16 They have been supported also to play their cards.
00:25:18 And we'll continue playing our cards.
00:25:19 I'm sure when the time is ripe,
00:25:22 women will get to where they have gotten to.
00:25:24 At least we have made a lot of strides as women.
00:25:27 - You explained that Agenda 2063,
00:25:31 this is the first time, one of the times I'm getting
00:25:34 a very simple explanation of what it is all about,
00:25:37 that it is Africa taking possession of its development.
00:25:40 Is that correct?
00:25:41 - It is correct.
00:25:42 - It is anchored on what I'll call
00:25:44 the Lagos Probe Action of 1980,
00:25:47 which foresees African development
00:25:50 in terms of regional economic blocks.
00:25:53 When you look around Africa, there are five of those blocks.
00:25:57 Ekowas is one, St. Magwell, Ekas is another.
00:26:02 When you look at where you belong,
00:26:05 the Central African sub-region,
00:26:08 you think that this integration is moving
00:26:11 in the direction of the Agenda 2063?
00:26:14 - Yes, when we, well, it is moving.
00:26:19 That's the word, moving towards the Agenda 2063,
00:26:22 because it's a vision.
00:26:23 It's a vision that we want to achieve.
00:26:25 And within the vision, there are various levels,
00:26:27 strategies and so on to go through to get the vision.
00:26:29 Like now, we are thinking about the aspect of trade,
00:26:36 Africa trading within itself and trading--
00:26:39 - No, we should come to that aspect,
00:26:40 but I want to also look at the integration
00:26:42 within, you know, in other sub-regions.
00:26:47 For example, it is easy, the human traffic is very fluid,
00:26:52 moving from one country to the other,
00:26:55 and so on and so forth.
00:26:56 - Yeah, it is fluid, not very fluid,
00:26:58 because I know one of the challenges
00:27:00 that our participants had was to travel to West Africa.
00:27:04 Sometimes you want to come to West Africa,
00:27:07 you go to East and then come to West Africa
00:27:09 and to Central Africa.
00:27:10 So they have the travel challenges,
00:27:12 they have challenges that they need to deal with as a region.
00:27:16 But then, as regions, we need to come together more
00:27:19 to be able to enhance our potential
00:27:22 and be able to take advantage of the strategies
00:27:26 out there, the potential that are out there.
00:27:27 - Opportunities.
00:27:28 - The opportunities that are out there,
00:27:29 we need to come together,
00:27:30 because sometimes it goes so low.
00:27:32 For example, I know you say you come back to them,
00:27:35 but something that people said about the climate change,
00:27:38 there was a climate change fund,
00:27:40 and this insisted that we need to come in synergy
00:27:44 as African countries to be able to access
00:27:46 the climate change fund.
00:27:48 So sometimes, if you don't work as a team
00:27:50 and work together and put your strategies together,
00:27:52 you may not access certain things out there.
00:27:55 - Okay, Honorable Mary Mwiyali Epus Mbuka,
00:28:00 Vice President of the National Assembly,
00:28:02 a member of Parliament from the Indian Division,
00:28:05 the Southwest region.
00:28:06 I will take a second pause.
00:28:07 I know one of the things that you put there
00:28:09 was to take your colleagues around
00:28:11 to savor Cameroon's cultural diversity,
00:28:16 the tourist potentials of this country.
00:28:18 Now, we decided on this program to look at,
00:28:21 to focus on the tourist potentials of the central region,
00:28:25 the seat of national institutions.
00:28:27 And of course, our eyes on that
00:28:30 are Staff Lady Nkwancha Marie Claire Doe.
00:28:34 (dramatic music)
00:28:39 (gentle music)
00:28:54 (upbeat music)
00:28:57 The central region, apart from being situated
00:29:03 in the geographical center of Cameroon,
00:29:06 has a mosaic of breathtaking tourist attractions
00:29:10 and beautiful green spaces for relaxation.
00:29:13 The several attractions drain in
00:29:17 not only international visitors, but nationals as well.
00:29:23 Contrary to what many people might think,
00:29:26 though most of the tourist attractions
00:29:29 could be located in Yaoundé,
00:29:32 the other nine divisions also have their own fair share
00:29:36 of wonders and marvels for the eye.
00:29:39 - The Mayfoe National Park,
00:29:40 that is a Mayfoe and Afamba division.
00:29:44 Here, you find all primates.
00:29:46 That is, you have gorillas, chimpanzees,
00:29:49 drills, man-drills, and a host of other animals.
00:29:53 It's about 40 kilometers from the heart of the city.
00:29:57 So it's one of the most attractive sites
00:29:59 for lovers of the eco-tourism domain,
00:30:04 because here, most of the international tourists
00:30:08 that we have that love nature would like to go there.
00:30:12 Another site, too, that we have is the Ebogo site.
00:30:15 It's also about 60 kilometers in the Enyang
00:30:19 and Sow division.
00:30:20 Here, you have the opportunity also to come closer
00:30:24 to nature.
00:30:25 You do the boat ride, you go right up to the big tree.
00:30:29 They call it Labre de Santiner.
00:30:31 And you also go now to the caves
00:30:33 that we have at Akokbikwe.
00:30:35 Akokbikwe is in the, around Akono.
00:30:38 It's very natural, from the center town,
00:30:40 it's 15 kilometers.
00:30:43 So when you go now to the Lakey division,
00:30:45 you have the Naktiga Falls,
00:30:48 which is not far from Yaounde,
00:30:50 just about 40 to 45 kilometers from Yaounde.
00:30:54 Be them international or national tourists,
00:30:57 they are frequent.
00:30:58 They frequent these milieus.
00:31:01 - The capital city, Yaounde,
00:31:03 called the City of Seven Hills,
00:31:06 and also called Ongola in the Ewondo language,
00:31:10 holds some historic and political references.
00:31:14 And of course, the most pronounced and well-known sites
00:31:19 around the regional capital, Yaounde, amongst others,
00:31:24 is the National Museum of Yaounde, for instance.
00:31:28 It reflects upon the history and culture of the country.
00:31:33 - For those who cannot go further from the town,
00:31:36 who just want to do the city tour,
00:31:39 there are sites that they can visit.
00:31:41 You have the National Museum,
00:31:44 that is actually, it gathers all the craft objects,
00:31:49 all the objects that we have in all the 10 regions
00:31:52 that are assembled in this National Museum.
00:31:54 You also have the Monument of Reunification,
00:31:57 which is also a very interesting site
00:32:00 for the unity of our country.
00:32:02 The frequency is very, very high.
00:32:05 You can also go to the Vokvisi Park.
00:32:09 You can also, there you can also come closer to nature.
00:32:13 You also have the monument that you have,
00:32:15 I Love My Country.
00:32:17 - Some of these places are meeting points for youth,
00:32:21 especially during holiday seasons.
00:32:24 - It's a very good place.
00:32:26 You see animals, you learn about them.
00:32:30 Monkeys, lion, snake, and crocodile.
00:32:35 This is my first time to come here
00:32:38 and play with my auntie, I feel nice.
00:32:41 - For this summer holidays,
00:32:42 I have chose to visit the monuments
00:32:46 which we have been taught in history
00:32:47 that they symbolize important events
00:32:50 that have happened in our country.
00:32:52 - I for myself, I came here
00:32:54 because I've heard about it many times.
00:32:57 I've heard about the Reunification Monument many times
00:33:01 and I wanted to discover it for the first time.
00:33:04 And as I said, it's my first time to be here.
00:33:06 - The central region has one of the most hospitable climates
00:33:10 in Cameroon and also harbors other great sites
00:33:14 which contributes greatly into the economy of the country.
00:33:19 The region is also a fantastic place
00:33:22 to explore for music and entertainment.
00:33:25 (upbeat music)
00:33:28 - The central region is made up of 10 divisions
00:33:39 with the indigenous population consisting mostly
00:33:43 of the Beti, Basa, Bafia, Vutes, and Yambasa.
00:33:48 The origin of these ethnic groups
00:33:51 as explained by some traditional iconic figures
00:33:55 indicates that it came from the other side
00:33:58 of the Senegal River hundreds of years ago.
00:34:02 - We are coming from the other side of Senegal River.
00:34:08 - Well, when you cross the Senegal River,
00:34:12 you are in the division of Mbam and Kim,
00:34:17 and Mbam and Ilou.
00:34:19 Those two divisions are composed by Yambasa and Bafia.
00:34:24 Now you come to Liké division, three main ethnic groups,
00:34:31 Eton, Mangisa, Bacenga.
00:34:38 When you go to Upper Senegal, Nangai Boko,
00:34:41 you have the Nangai Boko people and Yezou.
00:34:46 Now when you take the Mfundi division,
00:34:51 the Mfoua Famba and Afamba, Mfoua and Akolo,
00:34:57 and Nyong Eso, we use to call their Kolo people.
00:35:04 Now the Nyong and Fumu in Akono linga,
00:35:09 they are called Ibukolo and so on.
00:35:14 Now in the Nyong and Kili, these Basa people.
00:35:18 - As a people who are believed to be receptive,
00:35:22 open and accommodative,
00:35:24 Cameroonians from other parts of the country
00:35:27 find it easy to integrate in most of the localities
00:35:32 in the region.
00:35:33 - I've lived in Yaoundé for more than 20 years today.
00:35:37 Where I live, my husband is a notable.
00:35:40 Nothing can be decided in that area
00:35:43 without my husband's opinion.
00:35:45 So living together, it is something inborn.
00:35:49 I'm really, really much at home and at peace where I am.
00:35:53 When I have maybe celebrations in my house,
00:35:56 most of my friends that come prepare me,
00:35:58 meals of the Francophone areas are French speaking.
00:36:02 So how will I dissociate myself
00:36:05 from people I have lived all my life with?
00:36:08 To learn how to be at peace with ourselves
00:36:11 and with our neighbors and friends and brothers and sisters.
00:36:15 - Concrete examples of showing that Cameroonians
00:36:18 can live freely here in the central region
00:36:22 without discrimination is the choice
00:36:24 of a member of parliament and a third class chief
00:36:28 at Etukbe from the English speaking part of the country.
00:36:33 - They understand and tolerate each other's values
00:36:36 and cultures.
00:36:38 For instance, where I live in Yaoundé 6,
00:36:41 my closest neighbor is from Bamili Cave
00:36:44 and his own neighbor is an Ototon.
00:36:46 So we live together happily, we understand ourselves.
00:36:50 Even if we have differences, we put them aside
00:36:53 and we think together and act together.
00:36:56 In short, we are each other's keeper.
00:36:57 - Three years with my family,
00:37:00 I've been very close to my population.
00:37:03 They know me for the past 10 years.
00:37:05 It's a blend of culture, it's a blend of ideas.
00:37:09 I think I'm very comfortable, it's okay for me.
00:37:13 - The impediments to living together
00:37:16 might be land related issues
00:37:18 if not well harnessed in the region.
00:37:21 - The pressure on the land is very, very high.
00:37:27 And in my point of view, it is one of the main problem
00:37:32 who is putting in danger the living together.
00:37:37 - In spite of many challenges in our efforts
00:37:41 towards achieving national integration,
00:37:43 the central region and particularly Yaoundé
00:37:46 can be described as a melting pot of cultures
00:37:51 and proof of unity in diversity.
00:37:54 (dramatic music)
00:37:57 - Okay, Honorable, as I was following the deliberations
00:38:06 at the Yaoundé Conference Center,
00:38:08 I, and a number of things caught my attention.
00:38:12 I was interested in a number of talking points
00:38:15 that were raised that I found interesting
00:38:18 in the circumstances.
00:38:19 And I would like you to, you know,
00:38:22 to give your own perspective, your own insight
00:38:24 on some of these issues which I've selected.
00:38:27 Some of them we started, you know,
00:38:29 including to them, we'll get to them in greater detail.
00:38:32 The first issue that was raised was issue of trust
00:38:35 between the people's representatives
00:38:41 and their constituents.
00:38:43 Now, I would like to domesticate that.
00:38:45 Talking about Cameroon,
00:38:49 when you look at the way you members of parliament
00:38:53 function in this country,
00:38:55 do you think there is an unblemished nexus
00:39:00 between you and the people you represent?
00:39:02 - Well, we are benefiting from the vote of our constituents.
00:39:08 - That is understandable. - And it is our obligation
00:39:10 to be able to try as much as possible
00:39:13 to represent the people who sent us there.
00:39:16 So what we do to the best of our abilities
00:39:19 to be able to make sure that we relate
00:39:22 exactly what the people are feeling
00:39:24 back to the government and government back to the people.
00:39:28 - If this issue came up, it is because it was a problem.
00:39:31 What was the issue?
00:39:32 What was the problem?
00:39:33 - No, the challenge.
00:39:34 Normally, building trust has a lot of facets.
00:39:36 You may think that you have built trust with somebody,
00:39:39 but he's looking at something from another perspective
00:39:40 and you're also looking from another perspective.
00:39:42 - What are you saying, for example?
00:39:43 I'd like you to be more explicit.
00:39:45 - Yeah, for instance, you have in our communities,
00:39:50 you have the challenges of a crisis situation.
00:39:53 It's an element which reflect
00:39:55 where you can give an example of trust
00:39:57 because sometimes people would--
00:40:00 - Do people think that you are not saying enough
00:40:03 what their feelings are?
00:40:04 Is that?
00:40:05 - Some think that way,
00:40:07 but we think that we are trying to represent the people
00:40:11 as much as we can.
00:40:13 Sometimes the challenges that we have
00:40:16 is that the financing of our development is limited.
00:40:21 When you put your agenda, everybody puts his agenda,
00:40:24 you try to satisfy each area.
00:40:26 They will not concentrate on one area.
00:40:29 They satisfy each area at least at a certain level.
00:40:33 When certain things are not satisfied
00:40:34 by the government to your own community,
00:40:37 the people feel that you are not representing them enough,
00:40:39 but you are, it's just that the resources are limited.
00:40:44 - I would like you to clarify this point
00:40:45 because you mentioned developments.
00:40:46 I'll take the opportunity to see a clarification
00:40:49 from the most authorized voice,
00:40:53 and it has to be one of those
00:40:55 who can speak authoritatively on this issue.
00:40:58 The issue of micro-project grants,
00:41:00 has it been scrapped
00:41:01 from the parliamentary nomenclature of Cameroon?
00:41:03 - Yes, you listened to the debate last time.
00:41:06 Yes, it has been.
00:41:07 - You are no longer giving the 8 million pounds
00:41:09 you are giving each year?
00:41:10 - No, no, no, we are not giving.
00:41:12 So the activities that we have to carry out,
00:41:15 they want us to concentrate on our role,
00:41:17 our role of following up what the government is doing--
00:41:22 - And voting laws.
00:41:23 - And bringing up the activities that they need to put
00:41:26 in the yearly agenda of the government
00:41:31 and the strategies of the government.
00:41:32 They want us to concentrate on that role.
00:41:34 - I know you belong to the ruling party,
00:41:36 but I'm asking from my own perspective,
00:41:37 is that a good thing to do from your own vision?
00:41:41 - Given that the country is,
00:41:44 the strategy of the country is on decentralization.
00:41:47 So they want that most of the activities
00:41:50 that are going to go down the population,
00:41:52 like infrastructure,
00:41:55 like implementing certain development activities,
00:41:58 should be the role of the decentralized services.
00:42:01 And so more and more,
00:42:02 they are pushing that role toward the decentralized services
00:42:04 so that they should be able to grow and play their role
00:42:07 more effectively,
00:42:08 and we too should play our own role more effectively.
00:42:10 - So all of these centers around the trust,
00:42:11 I will be talking about that now,
00:42:13 in your own perspective,
00:42:15 what should be done to establish a greater bond of trust
00:42:19 between parliamentarians and the people they represent?
00:42:22 - It's development agenda.
00:42:24 At some point, we say that--
00:42:26 - Development agenda, I like that expression.
00:42:28 Can you build on that?
00:42:29 - At some point, we try to,
00:42:31 we are discussing with the government
00:42:33 to be able to make sure that they give us an allowance
00:42:36 within the budget to come up with projects every year,
00:42:38 to say that, okay, if I come up with 10 projects
00:42:41 and put in the program, in the yearly plan,
00:42:45 and they will go through.
00:42:46 So we have been discussing with the government,
00:42:49 but I'm sure they took the idea
00:42:50 and push it to the decentralized services.
00:42:54 So the element of trust for the people
00:42:57 is that they want their problems to be handled.
00:43:01 And sometimes they are impatient
00:43:02 about the handling of their problems.
00:43:05 - Now, the second issue,
00:43:05 which I said that really caught my attention,
00:43:07 the second issue was the issue of climate change.
00:43:10 I remember on June 22nd and 23rd,
00:43:12 I accompanied the head of state to France
00:43:14 for an international summit
00:43:18 of about 50 heads of state
00:43:20 and representative international organizations
00:43:22 to broker a deal on this issue of climate change.
00:43:26 And a lot of agreement was reached
00:43:29 that poorer countries, especially those in Africa,
00:43:31 should be given more resources
00:43:33 to be able to stem the nefarious,
00:43:37 negative effects of climate change.
00:43:39 Then I got that in a conversation here in Yaoundé.
00:43:42 I asked the question,
00:43:43 what role can MPs, parliamentarians, senators play
00:43:49 in this regard in terms of assuaging the difficulties,
00:43:54 the challenges of climate change?
00:43:56 - One of the things that the government needs to do,
00:43:59 which we are always advocating for,
00:44:01 is that they should have a climate sensitive budget.
00:44:04 The budget should be able to allocate more funds
00:44:09 to manage and mitigate the negative effects
00:44:16 of climate change and the adaptations.
00:44:20 And when they put more funds,
00:44:22 they may be gaining because there's a lot
00:44:24 of financing out there, financing mechanism out there
00:44:27 for carbon credits.
00:44:28 And so the more, the better we carry out
00:44:31 our climate, mitigate the climate negative effect.
00:44:35 - We're not doing that enough right now?
00:44:36 - Well, we are doing it to a certain extent,
00:44:39 but most of the countries we sat together,
00:44:41 we have not benefited a lot from the climate financing,
00:44:45 which means that our activities that we are doing
00:44:47 does not fetch us the money from the climate change.
00:44:49 - Can you give us some concrete examples,
00:44:51 Madam Honorable?
00:44:52 People are listening and watching you right now.
00:44:54 You have made some critical and important points.
00:44:57 What kind of project do you think,
00:44:59 you talk about climate change sensitive budget.
00:45:02 Can you give us some examples that will enable our viewers
00:45:05 to understand?
00:45:06 - It's just that they should put more money
00:45:07 in management of climate change.
00:45:09 There's a certain quota.
00:45:12 - In the planting of trees, for example?
00:45:14 - Yes, in the planting of trees,
00:45:16 in the making sure that the material that we are using
00:45:18 and are climate friendly, the plastic bags,
00:45:21 making paper bags.
00:45:22 - Important reduction of...
00:45:24 - Yeah, there are so many.
00:45:27 And even our development activities,
00:45:31 the way we do it,
00:45:32 we should be able to do our development activities
00:45:34 in a way that we manage our natural resources
00:45:37 so that they fetch us more money
00:45:38 without destroying the tomorrow for our communities.
00:45:41 And then plant more trees
00:45:43 and then make sure that we use our,
00:45:45 we don't have waste in the way we use
00:45:48 and manage our resources.
00:45:50 And we manage our waste properly.
00:45:52 All of those elements are very,
00:45:53 very important elements to build
00:45:55 because you have a lot of floods.
00:45:56 Sometimes it's just the blocking of,
00:45:59 we don't have, what do you call them?
00:46:01 The gutters, enough gutters to be able to evacuate water.
00:46:06 So it blocks in some areas.
00:46:10 You see some cities are very dirty.
00:46:11 We need a lot of plastic material,
00:46:14 which are not biodegradable,
00:46:16 but to be able to change that,
00:46:17 you need to be able to produce alternative materials
00:46:20 to use instead of those non biodegradable plastic materials.
00:46:24 And you need to use your waste
00:46:26 to be able to generate energy.
00:46:29 You can generate energy from your waste product,
00:46:31 your gas and all that.
00:46:32 You need more funds.
00:46:33 You need a lot of funds to get into that,
00:46:35 to be able to do that.
00:46:36 - And you said the funds are available.
00:46:38 - Well, you have to sell carbon credits
00:46:40 to be able to get money.
00:46:41 They are out there,
00:46:42 but then you have to sell carbon credits.
00:46:44 And I think one of the things
00:46:45 that the participants were thinking in this conference
00:46:50 was how to get together in synergy
00:46:52 to be able to access that climate financing.
00:46:54 - If you're just joining us,
00:46:58 you are on Insight, the Presidency,
00:47:00 the program that highlights and gives perspective
00:47:03 to presidential actions and prescriptions.
00:47:07 And my guest is Honorable Marie Mwiyani-Mbuka.
00:47:11 Honorable, you've touched an important point,
00:47:17 and I'd like to pursue that.
00:47:18 You talked about waste management.
00:47:20 You must have gone down the city of Yawun
00:47:21 and you see the heap of rubbish, dirt,
00:47:25 which you find all around the city.
00:47:27 Now, when we import also,
00:47:28 we import second-hand property from Europe,
00:47:32 you know, the term "brokant."
00:47:35 When you put all that together,
00:47:37 you see that there are so many people who are involved.
00:47:39 So many government structures are involved.
00:47:41 You, as a parliamentarian,
00:47:43 what do you think we can do?
00:47:45 Because some of those things also increase
00:47:47 the risk of, you know, the depletion of the ozone layer,
00:47:51 which causes climate change.
00:47:54 The heat will increase.
00:47:55 You, as a member of parliament,
00:47:57 what do you think should be done?
00:47:58 I want to get your own perspective on this.
00:48:00 - Yeah, like that one of the things we have in exchange
00:48:04 when we went to our, in our conferences,
00:48:08 you go to some countries,
00:48:09 they're actually transforming the waste
00:48:12 to get energy, to get cooking gas, to light bulbs.
00:48:16 So we can do that.
00:48:18 We can offer--
00:48:18 - Do you have the technology in this country to do that?
00:48:20 - I have not seen it done,
00:48:22 but I think that I've seen some presentations that were done.
00:48:27 Some people came to parliament,
00:48:28 they presented how they could recycle the waste,
00:48:31 but then it was just on a small scale basis,
00:48:34 on a, on a dryer basis.
00:48:36 - Embionic.
00:48:36 - Yeah, basis.
00:48:37 So I think that we should explore that further.
00:48:39 I think that people who have some level of the technology,
00:48:43 and that's where we can have exchange of technology
00:48:45 to be able to make it grow.
00:48:47 We have a lot of waste, biodegradable waste,
00:48:49 and we have a, people are using even
00:48:52 the non-biodegradable waste to produce a lot of things.
00:48:54 I've seen some people building,
00:48:56 producing hard blocks with hard plastic bottles,
00:49:00 all those things, we need to explore them further.
00:49:02 And then we can learn from also those who have advanced
00:49:05 in that technology, and we build it.
00:49:07 I know that is not done in a day, and it needs financing.
00:49:10 - What you're saying is very interesting.
00:49:14 But when I look at you, Honorable, I ask myself,
00:49:16 are we going to end at the level of
00:49:19 making this diagnosis here?
00:49:23 Apparently not enough advocacy is being done.
00:49:26 Would you agree with me?
00:49:27 - Yeah, I think so to a certain extent.
00:49:30 - Because it's advocacy that can bring all of what
00:49:32 you're talking about.
00:49:33 - We need to talk more about it.
00:49:34 We need to have exchange meetings with our government
00:49:37 so that we'll be able to work together.
00:49:39 - The councils.
00:49:40 - Yes, the councils and all of us.
00:49:42 - The regions.
00:49:43 - We need to put ourselves together and learn
00:49:45 where the technology exists.
00:49:47 Also try to have that commitment to be able to,
00:49:51 because it's very important, the commitment,
00:49:53 to be able to use that approach to transform our waste
00:49:58 to something useful.
00:50:00 - The other issue that caught my attention
00:50:03 in your deliberations is the issue of the free trade area.
00:50:06 And of course, the role that Parliament has to play.
00:50:09 I'm not going to ask you about the role
00:50:11 that Parliament can play in bringing about
00:50:14 the free trade area in Africa.
00:50:16 My question to you is, how can a country like Cameroon
00:50:21 benefit from the continental free trade area?
00:50:24 I want to be very clear, some things are to the point,
00:50:28 for the benefit of our viewers.
00:50:30 - Yeah, thank you.
00:50:31 Cameroon is Africa in miniature.
00:50:34 Cameroon is the breadbasket of Africa.
00:50:38 And in that line, we have so many products
00:50:41 that if we actually put transformation plans,
00:50:44 add value to the products, we'll be able to have a lot
00:50:47 to put out there in the market,
00:50:49 where we can, in the free trade area,
00:50:52 which is going to be a global market.
00:50:53 We have 54 countries in Africa,
00:50:55 which are on board the free trade area.
00:50:58 Like I said, the headquarters is in Ghana,
00:51:00 and it's already starting.
00:51:01 Even Cameroon has some commission
00:51:05 that created by the Prime Minister
00:51:07 to be able to follow up on that.
00:51:10 So Cameroon has timber, we have agricultural products
00:51:14 that are not found in other countries need.
00:51:17 We have a natural resource that other countries need.
00:51:20 We have so many things that other countries need.
00:51:23 We have minerals that other countries need.
00:51:26 And so we just need to add value to them,
00:51:28 not to send them out as raw materials.
00:51:31 You send big timber without processing it.
00:51:33 We can also make good furniture
00:51:35 and put it out there in the world market.
00:51:36 If we have good technology transfer,
00:51:38 we work with other people who have fine technology
00:51:41 on doing very fine furniture from wood,
00:51:44 we'll do it, and other people will buy from us.
00:51:46 We'll put it out there in the market,
00:51:47 and we'll be able to get a fair deal,
00:51:49 and we'll increase our wealth
00:51:51 and strengthen our industrialization in this country.
00:51:54 I'm so passionate about it.
00:51:55 I know we can do it.
00:51:57 - You know we can do it?
00:51:59 - Yeah, I know we can do it.
00:52:00 - You are against the export of raw timber.
00:52:04 - Of course, it's wrong.
00:52:05 Even when you compare the price of,
00:52:10 I know that the chocolate is more consumed out there,
00:52:13 but when you compare the final price,
00:52:15 economy advantage that those who buy cocoa get--
00:52:19 - And then transform into chocolate.
00:52:21 - How much they get and how much we get,
00:52:23 my dear brother, you'll be passionate about it as well.
00:52:26 So we have other products that we consume in Africa
00:52:29 that we can also add value.
00:52:31 We can also send them out there
00:52:32 to our brothers and sisters in Africa.
00:52:34 They'll gladly take it from us,
00:52:36 and they do have other things that we can also get from them
00:52:39 and we build our, create our wealth,
00:52:41 build our economy in Africa.
00:52:43 - In other words, you are saying
00:52:45 if we do not transform our agricultural products,
00:52:50 we stand a chance of not reaping the benefits
00:52:55 of the free, condemned area.
00:52:57 - Exactly.
00:52:58 - That's what you are saying conclusively.
00:52:59 - Yes, exactly.
00:53:00 If we send out much as primary products,
00:53:02 we'll not get much.
00:53:04 We have to add value onto our products.
00:53:07 - The Ministry of Industry is there.
00:53:10 The Ministry of Trade is there.
00:53:11 Have you taken this message to them?
00:53:13 What is their feedback?
00:53:14 - No, they know.
00:53:15 They are working on it.
00:53:16 Like everything I say is the process.
00:53:21 - There's a blueprint for it.
00:53:22 - It's not that easy.
00:53:23 You also need the technology to transform
00:53:25 so that the world market can consume your product.
00:53:28 You don't just transform in any,
00:53:29 you need standardization, good standards.
00:53:32 You need the kind of product to transform in a way
00:53:36 that it will be consumed and you have the attractive
00:53:38 to the world market.
00:53:40 So you need the technology as well.
00:53:42 You need to learn from those who have this technology.
00:53:45 You need to put financing.
00:53:46 You need to, and then it's an opportunity to create jobs.
00:53:50 Very great opportunity to have jobs for our youth.
00:53:53 - Instead of exporting the raw materials,
00:53:54 we transform them, many people have jobs for the youth.
00:53:57 - Of course, we have jobs.
00:53:59 The youth will have a lot of jobs.
00:54:01 You see that we create more and more wealth
00:54:02 and we build our industry and we have more and more jobs.
00:54:07 - You seem to have a lot of knowledge in this area.
00:54:11 Now you come from the Southwest region.
00:54:13 We have a regional council.
00:54:15 We have just been put in place, not many years now.
00:54:17 We'll need to benefit from these ideas.
00:54:19 We have local councils and so on.
00:54:22 Looking at your area, where you come from,
00:54:26 how do you think those places could benefit from this?
00:54:29 - They can, you have the drivers of development as well.
00:54:33 The roads, energy, those are the drivers of development.
00:54:38 - The road Kumba, Ekundotiti is at least--
00:54:40 - Is it starting, yes.
00:54:42 - They have begun the works on the stretch.
00:54:45 - They've started, yes, on Ekundotiti.
00:54:48 But then now, most part has not been done.
00:54:52 Those are the drivers.
00:54:55 So we need, first of all, to also handle the drivers
00:54:58 of our economy and then we can be able
00:55:01 to do the transformation.
00:55:01 Transformation can be done anywhere.
00:55:03 - What you're saying is that there are prerequisites
00:55:05 for this to happen.
00:55:06 - Yes.
00:55:07 - You have termed the drivers of development,
00:55:09 which includes roads.
00:55:10 - Yes, electricity.
00:55:11 You have roads, you have electricity.
00:55:14 You have even water.
00:55:15 So you have those important elements that once you have
00:55:21 roads, if you transform, let's say timber in Mundimba,
00:55:25 you'll be able to bring it to Douala, where the port is,
00:55:27 or to Limbe, where the port is, where you can send it
00:55:30 to other parts of the world.
00:55:31 - Without these drivers, it's like groping the dog.
00:55:35 - Well, I don't want to look at it as either/or thing.
00:55:38 The process that we are all going gradually through,
00:55:41 we have sea transport, even the roads are not good,
00:55:45 but they are passable, and so on.
00:55:47 But then, for you to take maximum advantage
00:55:50 of what you have, you need that things should be
00:55:53 in an optimum form.
00:55:54 - Okay, but at least in a place like Fakoh Division,
00:55:56 where the regional council is,
00:55:58 they don't have a problem with roads.
00:55:59 So now, while waiting for the oil roads to be ready,
00:56:02 what can they begin to do?
00:56:04 - The regional council in Buya is not only for Buya,
00:56:06 it's for Southwest.
00:56:07 - I understand.
00:56:08 - So even if Buya has a banana, it has rubber
00:56:11 that is transporting, it has tomato that is sent
00:56:14 into other parts of the world, they need to get other things
00:56:18 from other parts of the world, other parts of the region
00:56:20 to be able to send to--
00:56:21 - They can transform their banana,
00:56:22 but we have to begin from there.
00:56:23 So they have to transform their banana, like you said, to--
00:56:26 - Well, if you take banana, it's a kind of level
00:56:30 that you and I, we have some limited level of transformation
00:56:34 but in terms of timber, you will see it very clearly
00:56:36 that they can transform their timber.
00:56:38 In terms of even fruits, even foodstuffs, like tomato,
00:56:42 you can transform it, you can can it, you can send it.
00:56:45 You make more money than the person who are just
00:56:47 be selling fruit, tomato.
00:56:49 First of all, you will lose a lot of money
00:56:52 because especially if it gets rotten
00:56:54 when it has not finished evacuating it.
00:56:56 So in everything we do, there's a possibility
00:56:59 of adding value, even the banana you said, well fine,
00:57:02 you can also know how to package a banana,
00:57:05 make sure that it goes out very, in a certain form,
00:57:08 which CDC was doing and the fetch money,
00:57:10 people were using it all over the world.
00:57:12 So most things that we do, primary products are there,
00:57:17 they are fine, but then if we add value, we make more money.
00:57:21 - Well, as we go out of this very interesting conversation,
00:57:26 Honorable Moyale, you are here, so I cannot let you go
00:57:31 without asking you on this,
00:57:34 this close to seven years armed conflict
00:57:38 in the Northwest and Southwest regions,
00:57:39 you are one of the major players
00:57:41 in terms of seeking solutions,
00:57:43 bringing about peace and so on and so forth.
00:57:45 But we have noticed a trend, you come from Indian division,
00:57:49 just like the Prime Minister of this country,
00:57:51 Chief Dr. Joseph John Guthie, we have noticed a trend,
00:57:54 it's a positive one, don't think it's negative,
00:57:57 it's a positive one where increasingly,
00:58:00 scores and dozens of ex-combatants are surrendering
00:58:07 their weapons and seeking to be rehabilitated
00:58:11 into normal life.
00:58:13 What happened?
00:58:15 - Like you said, all of us, we are from the Prime Minister,
00:58:19 from there, all of us, we are all the population,
00:58:21 the elites, we are all in agreement
00:58:24 that this thing should stop.
00:58:27 And we are benefiting from the largest of the head of state
00:58:30 who has said that drop your weapons and you'll be forgiven.
00:58:35 And so we are sensitizing our people,
00:58:37 we are using our traditional institutions,
00:58:41 we are using our youths, we are using women,
00:58:44 and everybody is saying the same story.
00:58:46 So the same information, we are all passing around.
00:58:50 And so even these children are saying that
00:58:53 those who are coming out, they are at least better,
00:58:56 they are living a better life than they were in the bushes.
00:58:58 And so they are buying it, they are trusting the process
00:59:00 and they are coming out.
00:59:02 - And so why has this virus not infected some other divisions?
00:59:06 - I'm sure it is going to infect other divisions,
00:59:08 it is going to infect other divisions.
00:59:11 Because I'm sure those who come out,
00:59:13 they would surely be communicating with their peers
00:59:16 to be able to encourage them.
00:59:18 Because one of the greatest trust part
00:59:21 is that the children were like feeling,
00:59:26 not trusting the process, feeling that,
00:59:27 oh, if they come out, maybe it's a trick, maybe it's this.
00:59:30 - You, Ndjane Natives, you made an extra effort?
00:59:34 - Yes, we did, we did.
00:59:35 - You went underground?
00:59:37 - Well, you have all kinds of processes.
00:59:40 - Which you don't want to disclose.
00:59:41 - Which we don't want to disclose.
00:59:42 There are all kinds of processes.
00:59:44 You talk to children, you encourage the children,
00:59:46 you bring them out, and once they come out.
00:59:48 And we have a, what I can talk about is that
00:59:50 there's also the cleansing part in our tradition.
00:59:52 Once you come out, because you have touched blood.
00:59:55 - You spend money on that too?
00:59:56 - You have touched blood, yes, they do.
00:59:58 You try to help them to be able to,
01:00:01 because there's a kind of, I can say negative spirit
01:00:05 that enter the children.
01:00:06 - You have to de-spiritualize them?
01:00:07 - Yes, de-spiritualize the children
01:00:08 and make sure that they are,
01:00:11 gradually they become normal people
01:00:13 within the community.
01:00:14 And so once the children see that,
01:00:16 well fine, this is a process that we can trust,
01:00:18 they come out and you help them.
01:00:20 - And we hope to see many more repentees.
01:00:23 - Definitely.
01:00:24 - Or repentees in the days ahead.
01:00:26 - Definitely, definitely.
01:00:27 And we also, as a mother, I will also continue to plead,
01:00:31 to appeal to all the children who are in the bushes,
01:00:34 that they should come out.
01:00:35 At this time, all of them know that
01:00:38 the people who brought that agenda to them,
01:00:40 did not, it was not a good agenda.
01:00:43 What they said was going to happen will not happen.
01:00:45 They are instead destroying their own community
01:00:48 and their own people.
01:00:49 So I'm appealing to every child to come out,
01:00:52 because the process is worth trusting.
01:00:54 Every child who is in the bush now,
01:00:56 has no reason to be there,
01:00:58 because the process, they are taking the children
01:01:02 through nothing negative has happened
01:01:04 to anybody who has repented.
01:01:05 Even the worst criminals have repented.
01:01:07 They see that they have been forgiven
01:01:08 by the Cameroon people and the head of state.
01:01:10 So they should, it's a great appeal.
01:01:13 It's my fervent appeal to every child who is out there,
01:01:16 who is in the bush, who is still in the bush,
01:01:18 they should come out.
01:01:19 They should come out.
01:01:20 There's nothing in there for them.
01:01:21 They are just destroying their lives.
01:01:22 And we don't want our children to destroy their lives.
01:01:24 - And Madam Vice President,
01:01:25 how often do you go back to the village?
01:01:28 - No, I go, I go often.
01:01:30 Sometimes I accompany, supported by the security,
01:01:33 and sometimes, yeah, most of the time--
01:01:35 - Just to be on the safe side.
01:01:36 - You travel, yes, to be on the safe side.
01:01:38 You travel with the security, you be in a community.
01:01:40 And you are fine with your people,
01:01:41 and you encourage them to be able to,
01:01:44 but you don't want to risk yourself.
01:01:45 I cannot say that you have to just go like that.
01:01:48 Even within the community, you should be sure,
01:01:49 you should be careful where you are,
01:01:51 where you should be at certain point in time,
01:01:53 even though we are also making sure
01:01:55 that our community should come back, they should be safer.
01:01:57 But it's not an overnight thing.
01:02:00 It's not a one-day thing.
01:02:01 So we need to go gradual,
01:02:02 and make sure that people should understand the message.
01:02:05 - Madam Vice President of the National Assembly of Cameroon,
01:02:08 I wish you good luck.
01:02:09 - Thank you so much.
01:02:10 - It was my pleasure having you again
01:02:12 on this worldwide platform.
01:02:14 - I want to thank you so much for the interest you have
01:02:16 in our work, in our activities.
01:02:18 - Don't mention.
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01:02:24 It was a privilege to be in your company.
01:02:33 Thanks for watching, ladies and gentlemen.
01:02:36 Until we meet again in another fortnight,
01:02:39 stay blessed, stay safe, and goodbye.
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