The recovery process in the conflict stricken South West Region is now guaranteed as the government of Japan and the United Nations Development Programme, UNDP have signed a partnership agreement, entitled: “Project for Recovery in the South-west Region through Rehabilitation of Health Centres and Water Points (Phase 2).
Japans Ambassador to Cameroon, H.E. Hakaoka Nozomu, and the Acting Resident Representative for UNDP in Cameroon Alassane Ba signed the agreement in Yaounde on March 10, 2023. It comes in the wake of the Anglophone crisis which has ruined key social amenities including health and water facilities. Inhabitants have since 2016 been grappling with the impact of displacements and limited facilities. Now though, their story is about to change with the second phase of UNDP and Japanese help coming their way.
The recovery works fall in line with the UN Sustainable Development Goals SDG 3: (Good Health and Wellbeing) SDG 6: (Clean Water) and SDG 10: (Reduced Inequalities). The Government of Japan thus focuses this project in the South West Region.
The successful implementation of the first phase of the recovery project which ran from January 2021 to April 2021 recorded a positive feedback. This encouraged the Government of Japan to press forward with funding for phase Two. Nine health centres and 11 water points were rehabilitated, improving access to basic services for over 300,000 people found in the localities.
"I am delighted with this new step in a long-standing tripartite partnership between the Republic of Cameroon, Japan and UNDP,” Said Alassane Ba.
Urgent restoration of basic service delivery through the rehabilitation of health centres and water points is essential to counter the spread of illnesses for the affected populations, promote human security and provide them with healthy minds fit to accelerate recovery," he added.
With an estimated budget of approximately FCFA 1,365,475,334 (300,000,000 Japanese Yen), the second phase of the project is expected to rehabilitate 9 more integrated health centres and 17 solar powered water points. According to the UNDP and the Government of Japan, these interventions will have tangible impacts on the lives of the local population and will help tackle the outbreaks of epidemics such as measles, cholera and smallpox in the region that have been exacerbated by a lack of access to clean drinking water and insufficient health centres.
To the Japanese Ambassador, H.E. Takaoka Nozomu, "We signed phase 1 in 2021 and that was due to the dire situation and great needs of the people affected in the South West area. We want to continue providing assistance to them in their health and portable water. So today, we have signed to continue this very important activity in the South West as phase 2."
This second phase of the project for recovery in the South West region through the rehabilitation of health centres and water points has a targeted implementation period of one year. This dates from March 2023 to February 2024.
"The overall objective of the project is to enhance the resilience of vulnerable populations in the South West region of Cameroon and accelerate recovery through the rehabilitation of essential infrastructure to promote basic service delivery in the areas of Health, Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH)," stated the recovery project's press brief.
In collaboration with its partners; the Ministries of Economy, Planning, and Regional Development; Public Health; Water and Energy; State Property, Surveys and Land Tenure and the National Coordination of Presidential Plan for the Reconstruction and Development, PPRD-NW/SW, two outputs are expected of the project. What is expected of the first output is that the populations of the South West region have an increased access to basic healthcare services; while the second output aims that the populations of the South West region have increased access to safe drinking water. The targeted areas are in the Meme, Manyu, Ndian, Kupe Manenguba, Lebialem and Fako divisions.
Sa'ah Siona Ikei, The Post Newspaper
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