Graduate School of International Studies Ajou University
Publication Year
2015-08
Language
eng
Alternative Abstract
ABSTRACT
The fight against poverty is one of the biggest problems in Cameroon. One of the means used to eradicate poverty is to promote decentralization to facilitate development.
This research paper, explore the possible causal relationship between the laws on de decentralization and community participation in development in the North West region of Cameroon. The study affirms that laws were enacted and implemented in order to bring the administration closer to the population with the granting of autonomy and empowering others for self-esteemed development through community participation.
The study discovered that, decentralization laws are ill-framed and have affected the regional development owing to fact that the executive is unwilling to decentralized state functions. Notwithstanding the blame on the government, this work acknowledged the fact that the region in question is faced with problem of poverty, land dictates, mind- set of being marginalized, farmer- grazer conflicts and the absence of empowerment within the communities to manage local resources accounts for low development and economic development. Unlike Asian countries such as South Korea with its “New Community Movement” for rural development, I think community participation should not only be at the nominal, representative level but communities should be at the transformative face in all development projects that concern them. Development should not just mean participation for the system to work well and sustainably. Communities have to deal with some things themselves. Community management should be encouraged because it stresses the need for empowerment, responsibility, control, authority over systems which are essential components for sustainable development.