The tradition has been respected: On December 31, the last day of 2017, the head of state addressed the people of Cameroon at 8 pm
The assessment that the President of the Republic draws of the year 2017, is marked by the English crisis, the economic crisis and the victories of the national football teams in gentlemen and women's volleyball at the African Cups of Nations of their receptive discipline.
In the register of the prospects, Paul Biya indicated that all the arrangements are made so that the elections envisaged in 2018 happen in the calm and the security.
Below, the entire message of the Head of State
Cameroonians, Cameroonians,
My dear compatriots,
In the year just ending, Cameroon has, in a difficult context, confirmed to the world the solidity of its institutions, the resilience of its economy and its commitment to national unity.
Our country has demonstrated, a formidable ability to meet the many challenges he has faced, sporting, security, economic or social.
This performance is first to you he owes Cameroonians and Cameroonians! Whether you are from North or South, East or West. Whether you are English-speaking or French-speaking, you have always known, in your vast majority, to show courage, dynamism, patriotic spirit and especially maturity.
I congratulate you!
My dear compatriots,
Unfavorable international conditions, in particular due to the persistent decline in commodity prices, negatively impacted economic growth and social progress in our country. This has also resulted in cash-flow difficulties, of which State suppliers, particularly Small and Medium-sized Enterprises, have suffered badly.
As part of its efforts to deal with this situation, the Government concluded, in June 2017, with the International Monetary Fund, an economic and financial program supported by an "Extended Credit Facility". This program should have as early as 2018, a positive impact on our growth.
In this respect, we will continue our efforts to optimize the collection of state revenue and the rationalization of public spending. Particular attention will be given to the situation of SMEs, particularly with regard to the priority settlement of the debt due to them, as well as to improving their access to bank credit.
We will also continue resolutely to carry out our major projects, with a particular focus on road infrastructure. Outreach services to the population, including water, electricity, and health care, will receive special attention.
The sanitary map of our country is becoming denser each year, with the construction of a hundred Health Centers, District Medical Centers and District Hospitals.
We will continue our efforts to provide our populations with quality health care accessible to all. It is with this in mind, that I gave the Government the instruction to complete the reflections relating to the progressive implementation of the Universal Health Coverage.
Significant progress has been made in the implementation of the projects included in the three-year emergency plan. These are projects that generate real social progress for the benefit of our people. Efforts in this regard will continue.
The Government's continuous action, in favor of the densification of the school and university map, makes Cameroon a formidable pool of quality human resources in Africa. At the same time, we will intensify our efforts to create jobs, particularly for our youth. The completion of major projects, such as the Port of Kribi, which will soon come into operation, offers interesting prospects in this respect.
The IMF's review mission, which took place in October-November 2017, rightly welcomed both the resilience of our economy and our performance in implementing the program with this institution. This is, you will agree with me, a good omen for our goals for emergence.
My dear compatriots,
On the sporting side, the year that has ended has given us great victories to celebrate. Our Indomitable Football Lions have brilliantly won their fifth continental title. Our national women's volleyball team has filled us with pride by becoming champion of Africa, right here in Yaounde. Through the stadiums around the world, our athletes have shone our flag and echo our national anthem. The Cameroonian nation by my voice, congratulates them warmly.
In 2019, as you know, our country will host the big family of continental football, on the occasion of the Africa Cup of Nations. This will be an opportunity, beyond the purely sports aspect, to make our guests enjoy the warmth of Cameroonian hospitality. I have no doubt that, like our athletes, our people will be able to rise to the occasion and present the best face of Cameroon.
Our country will be ready for this great feast of friendship. I made the commitment.
My dear compatriots,
Among the challenges that Cameroon had to face during the year 2017, the security challenge was not the least.
The terrorist sect Boko Haram has indeed continued its attacks against our country. Thanks to the bravery of our soldiers and the courage of our people, we have inflicted bitter defeats on this criminal group and destroyed its expansionist dreams. Of course, vigilance remains the order of the day. We will continue with determination, together with our neighbors and our international partners, our efforts towards the total eradication of this terrorist group.
We have also achieved notable successes in the fight against the phenomenon of hostage-taking on our eastern border. We will intensify our efforts in this regard and continue to stalk relentlessly the criminal groups involved.
In the North-West and South-West regions, socio-professional demands, to which the Government has nevertheless endeavored to provide appropriate responses, have been the object of recovery by extremists, seeking to impose through violence, their secessionist project.
We have all witnessed the seriousness of the overflows that have resulted. The symbols of the Republic have been desecrated. The education of our children was taken hostage by criminal arsonists who did not hesitate to set fire to schools and attack students. Economic and social activities have been disrupted by irresponsible slogans, imposed on people by threat, intimidation and violence. Bombings have been perpetrated. Many of our compatriots lost their lives in the violence orchestrated by the secessionists. Members of our defense and security forces were murdered in cold blood, doing their duty.
I would like to invite you to have a pious thought for all our fellow citizens who lost their lives in this crisis. I would also like, on behalf of the entire nation, to extend our sincere condolences to all the bereaved families.
As I have recently recalled, it is my duty to watch over the republican order, the social peace, the unity of the Nation and the integrity of Cameroon.
In this regard, I have learned that all those who have taken up arms, who are abusive or who incite violence, are fought relentlessly and answer to their crimes for justice.
The security operations undertaken in this regard have yielded excellent results. They will continue without weakness, but without excess. I commend the defense and security forces for the bravery, determination, restraint and professionalism they have shown so far.
I know that the wish of all Cameroonians of goodwill is that tensions stop in the North West and South West regions and that the situation returns to normal. The vast majority of Cameroonians aspire to live together in peace.
It is with this aspiration that I created the National Commission for the Promotion of Bilingualism and Multiculturalism, whose role in promoting our coexistence will be essential.
It is also in the same vein that I asked the Government, from the beginning of the crisis, to engage in a constructive dialogue with English-speaking teachers and lawyers with the aim of finding solutions to their demands. Many actions have been taken by the Government following this dialogue, going even beyond the original claims. Others are underway or planned.
The dialogue, I make it clear, has always been and always will remain for me, the preferred way of solving problems, insofar as it fits strictly within the framework of republican legality.
My dear compatriots,
The consultations that I conducted, but also the many opinions and suggestions that I gathered, reinforced me in the idea that our fellow citizens want to participate more in the management of their affairs, especially at the local level.
I firmly believe in this respect that the acceleration of our decentralization process will strengthen the development of our regions.
With this in mind, I prescribe the implementation of the necessary measures to rapidly implement this major reform.
In the same vein, the completion of the establishment of the institutions provided for in the Constitution will consolidate the rule of law and open a new chapter in our democratic process.
2018 will be an important election year. All the necessary steps will be taken to ensure that the electoral process is conducted in a calm and secure manner.
My dear compatriots,
As you can see, many challenges challenge our Nation. We must meet them together, in fraternity, with respect for the institutions and in the spirit of national harmony.
With this in mind, Cameroon is for all of us a precious legacy.
Let us remain worthy of the inheritance received, this united Cameroon, who goes upright, proud and jealous of his freedom.
Happy new year to everyone !
And long live Cameroon!
Source : PRC
In the register of the prospects, Paul Biya indicated that all the arrangements are made so that the elections envisaged in 2018 happen in the calm and the security.
Below, the entire message of the Head of State
Cameroonians, Cameroonians,
My dear compatriots,
In the year just ending, Cameroon has, in a difficult context, confirmed to the world the solidity of its institutions, the resilience of its economy and its commitment to national unity.
Our country has demonstrated, a formidable ability to meet the many challenges he has faced, sporting, security, economic or social.
This performance is first to you he owes Cameroonians and Cameroonians! Whether you are from North or South, East or West. Whether you are English-speaking or French-speaking, you have always known, in your vast majority, to show courage, dynamism, patriotic spirit and especially maturity.
I congratulate you!
My dear compatriots,
Unfavorable international conditions, in particular due to the persistent decline in commodity prices, negatively impacted economic growth and social progress in our country. This has also resulted in cash-flow difficulties, of which State suppliers, particularly Small and Medium-sized Enterprises, have suffered badly.
As part of its efforts to deal with this situation, the Government concluded, in June 2017, with the International Monetary Fund, an economic and financial program supported by an "Extended Credit Facility". This program should have as early as 2018, a positive impact on our growth.
In this respect, we will continue our efforts to optimize the collection of state revenue and the rationalization of public spending. Particular attention will be given to the situation of SMEs, particularly with regard to the priority settlement of the debt due to them, as well as to improving their access to bank credit.
We will also continue resolutely to carry out our major projects, with a particular focus on road infrastructure. Outreach services to the population, including water, electricity, and health care, will receive special attention.
The sanitary map of our country is becoming denser each year, with the construction of a hundred Health Centers, District Medical Centers and District Hospitals.
We will continue our efforts to provide our populations with quality health care accessible to all. It is with this in mind, that I gave the Government the instruction to complete the reflections relating to the progressive implementation of the Universal Health Coverage.
Significant progress has been made in the implementation of the projects included in the three-year emergency plan. These are projects that generate real social progress for the benefit of our people. Efforts in this regard will continue.
The Government's continuous action, in favor of the densification of the school and university map, makes Cameroon a formidable pool of quality human resources in Africa. At the same time, we will intensify our efforts to create jobs, particularly for our youth. The completion of major projects, such as the Port of Kribi, which will soon come into operation, offers interesting prospects in this respect.
The IMF's review mission, which took place in October-November 2017, rightly welcomed both the resilience of our economy and our performance in implementing the program with this institution. This is, you will agree with me, a good omen for our goals for emergence.
My dear compatriots,
On the sporting side, the year that has ended has given us great victories to celebrate. Our Indomitable Football Lions have brilliantly won their fifth continental title. Our national women's volleyball team has filled us with pride by becoming champion of Africa, right here in Yaounde. Through the stadiums around the world, our athletes have shone our flag and echo our national anthem. The Cameroonian nation by my voice, congratulates them warmly.
In 2019, as you know, our country will host the big family of continental football, on the occasion of the Africa Cup of Nations. This will be an opportunity, beyond the purely sports aspect, to make our guests enjoy the warmth of Cameroonian hospitality. I have no doubt that, like our athletes, our people will be able to rise to the occasion and present the best face of Cameroon.
Our country will be ready for this great feast of friendship. I made the commitment.
My dear compatriots,
Among the challenges that Cameroon had to face during the year 2017, the security challenge was not the least.
The terrorist sect Boko Haram has indeed continued its attacks against our country. Thanks to the bravery of our soldiers and the courage of our people, we have inflicted bitter defeats on this criminal group and destroyed its expansionist dreams. Of course, vigilance remains the order of the day. We will continue with determination, together with our neighbors and our international partners, our efforts towards the total eradication of this terrorist group.
We have also achieved notable successes in the fight against the phenomenon of hostage-taking on our eastern border. We will intensify our efforts in this regard and continue to stalk relentlessly the criminal groups involved.
In the North-West and South-West regions, socio-professional demands, to which the Government has nevertheless endeavored to provide appropriate responses, have been the object of recovery by extremists, seeking to impose through violence, their secessionist project.
We have all witnessed the seriousness of the overflows that have resulted. The symbols of the Republic have been desecrated. The education of our children was taken hostage by criminal arsonists who did not hesitate to set fire to schools and attack students. Economic and social activities have been disrupted by irresponsible slogans, imposed on people by threat, intimidation and violence. Bombings have been perpetrated. Many of our compatriots lost their lives in the violence orchestrated by the secessionists. Members of our defense and security forces were murdered in cold blood, doing their duty.
I would like to invite you to have a pious thought for all our fellow citizens who lost their lives in this crisis. I would also like, on behalf of the entire nation, to extend our sincere condolences to all the bereaved families.
As I have recently recalled, it is my duty to watch over the republican order, the social peace, the unity of the Nation and the integrity of Cameroon.
In this regard, I have learned that all those who have taken up arms, who are abusive or who incite violence, are fought relentlessly and answer to their crimes for justice.
The security operations undertaken in this regard have yielded excellent results. They will continue without weakness, but without excess. I commend the defense and security forces for the bravery, determination, restraint and professionalism they have shown so far.
I know that the wish of all Cameroonians of goodwill is that tensions stop in the North West and South West regions and that the situation returns to normal. The vast majority of Cameroonians aspire to live together in peace.
It is with this aspiration that I created the National Commission for the Promotion of Bilingualism and Multiculturalism, whose role in promoting our coexistence will be essential.
It is also in the same vein that I asked the Government, from the beginning of the crisis, to engage in a constructive dialogue with English-speaking teachers and lawyers with the aim of finding solutions to their demands. Many actions have been taken by the Government following this dialogue, going even beyond the original claims. Others are underway or planned.
The dialogue, I make it clear, has always been and always will remain for me, the preferred way of solving problems, insofar as it fits strictly within the framework of republican legality.
My dear compatriots,
The consultations that I conducted, but also the many opinions and suggestions that I gathered, reinforced me in the idea that our fellow citizens want to participate more in the management of their affairs, especially at the local level.
I firmly believe in this respect that the acceleration of our decentralization process will strengthen the development of our regions.
With this in mind, I prescribe the implementation of the necessary measures to rapidly implement this major reform.
In the same vein, the completion of the establishment of the institutions provided for in the Constitution will consolidate the rule of law and open a new chapter in our democratic process.
2018 will be an important election year. All the necessary steps will be taken to ensure that the electoral process is conducted in a calm and secure manner.
My dear compatriots,
As you can see, many challenges challenge our Nation. We must meet them together, in fraternity, with respect for the institutions and in the spirit of national harmony.
With this in mind, Cameroon is for all of us a precious legacy.
Let us remain worthy of the inheritance received, this united Cameroon, who goes upright, proud and jealous of his freedom.
Happy new year to everyone !
And long live Cameroon!
Source : PRC